Alomegauge Productions: Recycle Bin
by C.F.Winchester. Finalage
Summary: Presented and Hosted by Midnight Finalage Throw. Now used for the further purpose of tossing my whims.
1. Original Ten minute challenge

A quikie, because I am looking for inspiration, by the end of this verse, I should have something to write with, something to give for my story. I do not own Negima, okay? Be careful, I am not myself, here, I will not place things the way I normally do. I am on the clock, this will be completed in ten minutes, so don't expect it long.

+---+

Kago walked the streets of Mahora city, drinking in the sights and sounds. It was a warm and pleasant fall afternoon, and school was out, so many students of the school were roaming free with eyes on one piece or merchandise or another , this city was a gold mine for the upcoming business person. We all know that it is the youthful culture who has the most money to spend, but that was of no concern to Kago. He only wanted to enjoy the sights...

He took himself off the beaten path and leaned against a tree lining the streets. The sky was clear and there was practically no wind..even the birds were silent. If they made any noise, Kago could not hear them over the indistinguishable murmur of the busy streets in front of him. As a trained solider might access his chances on a battlefield, so too did Kago, as he leaned against his tree, sight the area in front of him. A child ran with a balloon past a kiosk, her mother not far behind with a man giving chase. The child and mother even, were laughing openly, even as the mother scolded the girl. It was only banter. That same said kiosk was home to a cheerful man, who was dutifully tolling out his wares and flashing a signature smile to customers, he was the one who made them comfortable in his own small ways, a truly good, honest transaction. Kago sighed and clutched his side as it pained him. That was his fate, and it would be coming soon. This beautiful sights of life, wasn't for him anymore...

Ripping his eyes from it, he delved into the shadows of the surrounding trees....

+----+

Ten minutes is up for me....I think I have my inspiration back a bit....


	2. The rules

This is a NOTE.

This story's purpose has changed. Now it shall be used as not one ten minute challenge, but a series of challenges you all implement.

The rules are simple. You tell me in a review what you want me to write about for one chapter, a one shot about *insert random Negima theme here*

In your review, you simply tell me the length you want it and what it should be about, you can even include a time limit, for example:

**Create a Asuna x Negi one shot, no more than 2,000 words and with a one hour time limit.**

As such, I can take the challenge when ever I please, but once I start it, I cannot spend more than one hour on this chapter, and I must try to make it fit within 2,000 words.

Please however, be wary of my limitations. Don't ask me something silly like:

**Write a NegiNodo one shot, 10,000 words in one minute.**

Obviously, I doubt anyone can type 10,000 words in one minute, give me a proper time line! Ten thousand words is also a bit harsh.

Generally, I can type around 2000 words an hour. That's my current speed limit, athoguh, if I'm in the moment, I have been known to go as high as 2,400 or more. I might accept a three thousand word , one hour time limit dash to try and pace myself, but don't expect it. I like to be realisitc.

You can also ask me to make two shots and three shots, but no more than quad shots. You can also ask me to continue another's suggestion.

I'm doing this to attempt to become a better author on my part. Help me.

As of now, this is a Negima setting. Although I'm not objecting to doing cross over one shots. However, keep in mind that I may have to study up on the other party to make a good cross over.

Also keep in mind that I may be a bit slow on the uptake, I am after all, trying to find a suitable request and implement it, as well as deal with my other story.

That's another rule, you can ask me to use characters from my other stories and bring them here in one shots. Would you like to see how my "Young Negi" might react to fighting his original? Do it here.

See you.


	3. Challenge Bout One: The Untimely Grave

*Takes a peek in the reviews.*

Ahh, so my first "Challenge" has no time limit. Okay then. That's great, it means I can experiment and flex it a bit. A thousand and five hundred words is perfectly fine to try for, although I may end up making it a bit longer out of new found habits...now, where the heck are my headphones? I got the darn things last week...ahh, there they are. I'm set.

Konoka is underplayed. I did that a bit on purpose, as a kind of distance to the prevailing "KonoSetsu" fics out there, but I did plan on bringing them into the story bit by bit.

Ever heard the song "Lithium" by Evanescence? This is what I'm using right now to set a mood for myself, it's not the song for the chapter, no, but it's what I'm using to _write_ it.

I do not own Negima.

+---+

_**Challenge One: The Untimely Grave. **_

In that one moment, all of time seemed to stop.

She could still see the red sheet of hair that had flown into her vision, the figure sending a powerful kick right into her stomach, blasting her backwards, away from the beam of magic, a powerful, prevailing blast of consuming blood purple. At first, she had thought Asuna had pushed her away, but the form was too small.

He didn't even look back, only rose a solitary arm with gun in hand and began to fire, his feet planted firmly in the ground. The wind from the blast blew his hair back as it came, the gun a lone spark of defiance against it.

It ate him up. From the bottom of his shoes it burned them away, and travelled up, to his clothes, ripping him apart bit by bit, until there was only that flowing hair, which disappeared into the light, which consumed all. He was gone, just like that, he had been swallowed whole by the realm that was death.

Konoka could barely see through her own hair, but she managed to see the brilliant blast that consumed the boy who had kicked her out of the way. That same little boy who acted like a grown, bitter, old man, brushing her off and bristling at attempts of friendship, had turned into a sacrificial figure, stepping in to take the blast meant for her.

Purple filled her entire vision, and the only thing she could see was that sheet of red hair. It disappeared right in front of her eyes, leaving behind nothing but a singed pile of clothes and his gun.

Nothing but ashes were left of the boy who had just been there, taking a blast that was meant for _her_.

How old was he? Six? How old was she? What had she accomplished in her life, compared to him? Yet, he was the one burnt to the ground, not her. A budding redwood cut before it even had a chance to show it's shine, and she was what, a Japanese maple? A tiny thing.

That same boy had yelled at her when she attacked him to pry into his bitter memories, that same boy had taught her countless things, superseding simple English. He had laid down his life, for her, like Set-chan had done once before...

Why?! Was it always her who had to be saved by the strong, why did they always take the hits she could not?! Setsuna had almost died that day, and she could not have been much older than sensei had been...what was so special about her that people died to keep her alive?!

Ashes.

She stared at them. Asuna picked up the gun, a marvelous thing that shone in the light. Singed, yet the noble weapon still fired. Once, Twice, Three times, four, she lost count as her long time friend seemed stuck in a rut, endlessly cascading a hail of bullets upon the fallen stone figure until Yue, the voice of reason, yanked her arm down, yelling that it was already dead.

Dead.

The word resounded in her head. Dead. The boy was dead, because he had tried to save her. She who had tried to break him, she who he had always brushed off, and he had extended her life by sacrificing his.

Someone pulled her up, she couldn't tell who. Her hair flowed to cover her face before whipping back, revealing that it was clean, blank of emotion. Her turmoil was inside. She had killed him, just as certainly as if she had taken the gun he held to his head and pulled the trigger. She was weak, and it was his job, as the strong, to protect the weak. She had always been weak.

It only made itself clear now just how weak she was. Hiding behind a mask of kindness, of happiness she didn't even feel half the time. Always the high spirited one, they always looked to her, the sun when the sky was filled with clouds. You fake it until you make it, and she was a classic faker.

The boy didn't do that. His one true joy was teaching, but when outside it, he wasn't afraid to show his feelings, to feel his pain. To live with his deeds and weaknesses and improve upon them, in the end, he, from the very time he had walked through the door, had proved stronger, braver, than her mask of happiness.

She remembered walking in on him with his hair free, mistaking him for a girl and latching unto him, all cheer, and his angry yet comical reaction. She saw him, every day, loosen up a little tiny bit, and had thought, just this morning, that maybe he would finally open up soon. He had tossed her a green tea then and told her to stay safe in the surveillance team, but she had insisted on coming.

She could still feel that tea in a pocket somewhere on herself…she should have listened to him.

If she had, he would still be alive. Alive to open up to others, let go of his bitter, sorrowful past and be happy for once, alive to see the good the world could offer. She had taken that away from him with one stupid blast of purple and red light. No, he could not be alive. He had stood right there, and she had seen him disappear from the ground up.

No one survived something like that. Not even the strong. The strong could die, no one was invincible. Life was not a video game, if was like chess in its own twisted way, and Sensei had just been checkmated.

Someone tugged her away from the scene, a few students rallied to begin a search, Asuna leading it. Her main ammunition being the fact that there was no body...but, the clothes...the body would have been...

Disintegrated...

A while later, Konoka found herself staring at a pot full of water, but her body was frozen, her mind blank. What had she come here to do again? She really thought it was to cook, but what? Just the day before, Sensei had put aside some ingredients to try a dish he had not had time to try since coming to Japan, but she didn't know how to cook it, she couldn't even remember it's name...

Again with that boy. It wasn't that she loved him or anything...just she felt..connected to him now, as if risking one's life and dying created a bond of souls, in which could not be severed no matter how hard she tried. She just could not push the boy from her mind, even as she forced herself to grab a stalk of celery and start chopping it.

Sensei held his hands a bit further along the stock, and his chops had more force, making his cuts smoother, but the shapes were slightly less symmetrical than hers....the way the boy did his cooking suggested a need not for beauty or precision, but necessity.

Again, she forced him from her head, this time physically, shaking her head violently to rid it of any trace of the diminutive red head. She managed to finish her meal without thinking of him once, but she could see Yue-san staring at her from time to time, and in those large eyes, she saw her own, which held a darkness that had not been there before.

A soul leaves behind a small piece of themselves when they die violently, or so the suspicion goes. Would she forever bear these new, darkened eyes as a memento to her sin or weakness?

Night and day..

They were both the same now, there was no difference. In this land of eternal sun, time meant little, and Konoka found herself once more in the kitchen, sifting through the ingredients the boy had left in the fridge, she forced herself to look at them. Enough hiding. Get over the damn thing already.

That word was a favorite of the tiny sensei....damn.

Asuna called out into the darkness of Konoka's mind, poking her gently in the ribs and making her spin, knife still in hand to face her. Her knife almost cut the girl's left pigtail off, but Asuna's hands were faster than her whirl.

"Holy hell, I just poked you because you looked....spaced out... I found something, a way out I think. You don't have to go giving me an early hair cut about it!"

Asuna, her best friend since...well, since Set-chan distanced herself. The girl was brash but kind, yet she could still be incredibly dense. Couldn't she see the killer of the boy she sought so hard to find was right in front of her? Yet she comes to her first to tell her she has found a way out.

Konoka left the girl be, half heartedly yelling out to all who cared that Asuna had found something as she turned back to put her knife away. She wouldn't need it anymore it seemed. They were leaving, and they were leaving with one less of their number. What would they say to the others?

The walk wasn't long, and her classmates, once reaching what seemed to be a door etched in stone, began their usual banter, but Konoka paid them no mind. She walked up to the door and felt it with a hand while they talked. One of them read the inscription on it, she had no idea which one, perhaps it was even her. Yue spoke up, a knife of sensibility into the darkness of confusion, and the door split open, crumbling away to admit a figure she had not let herself think about for nearly two days, or was it one? It stumbled, and almost grabbed unto her, clinging for dear life.

"Why...do you hate me?"

That simple sentence echoed in her head for almost an eternity; "Why do you hate me?"

Did she hate him? Why should she? Because of his strength? Because of his complete difference from an ordinary child? Maybe he thought she would hate him for allowing her to think him dead? Perhaps...Did he think she hated him? Her mouth issued a classic sound of confusion, but her cut her to the chase.

"Answer the question! Why do you hate me!?"

It was then the answer came, even as her sense of reality returned. This was her final test. He had survived and come back from the dead, just to give her a final test into this circle of acceptance. The weight of having killed someone, of being to weak to stand on her own, was slowly lifted as she answered him, finally.

"I don't hate you Sensei..."

It was a small victory, but it was, for now, enough.

+---+

I don't like the way this turned out, I suppose I wasn't in a dark enough mood today. Yet, I know I had time today, so I did it today. I must stop though, I reached my limit...I think. It looks like fifteen hundred words at least.

Oh, it's over two thousand, oh well.


	4. Challenge Bout Two: Sundered Memories

There is no limit to the number of challenges one member can make, as long as I try to limit it to one or maybe, later one, two challenges per chapter from two different people. Personally, I think I can handle this one. Konoka watching Asuna shatter and die? My, my. A tragic event indeed! Magic cancellation is kaput! Let's see what this author can come up with.

MORE THAN TEN WORDS?! THAT'S UNTHINKABLE!

Ha ha, fine. Let's see, and I know this is going to be far more than ten words. Poor Konoka. By the way, those of you who are reading, this, my next chapter for Young Negi is already about three fifths done. I can almost expect to have it done tomorrow, but tomorrow follows a Monday schedule, and Mondays are hectic for me. I might get it done, I might not, if not, Friday...although Friday is another crazy day.

Goal of Young Negi Chapter length currently set at 50 kilobytes, fifty four is optimal. Current amount is 31.7 KB.

+---+

_**Challenge Two: Sundering Indomitable.**_

I could only stare. My mind was completely blank. What was I to do?! Set-chan, where was she when I needed her?! Asuna...

_Run._

A true friend is there till the end....even as the stone crawled up her body like a fast moving disease, she managed to keep a good face on and told ME to run. "Bad people" were after me.... That was all before the stone encased her mouth, and the cracks followed. Daddy...he too had been fighting stone. Was he like this now? Oh please no, don't let me be all alone here...

_I never liked being alone..._

I take a step back, unconsciously. It can't be. Asuna was too strong, too healthy. What was this, that turned people into stone? Who were these bad people? Is my father dead? What about my classmates? Did Set-chan even suffer this fate too? Where was Negi-sensei? If I look, will I see his glasses set in stone?

_This is a nightmare..._

I can't stop my hand from reaching up to touch her. I don't know why. Some evil within me needs to touch this to see if I'm not dreaming. Please, let this just be some nightmare I can scream and wake up from.

_..but why can't I wake up?!_

My touch sets off a chain reaction, and before me, Asuna's body crumbles into dust, her head falls and shatters upon the ground in a dozen pieces...yet those eyes still stare at me. Blank now, accusing, hurt. My own eyes must be wide enough to pop out of my skull by now, and I fall backwards, scrambling on all fours.

_Will they at least let me escape this dream?_

I want to look away, to block that sight from my eyes, but I can't. My head won't turn. It just won't obey me. My body is no longer mine, and I fear that, perhaps, I am affected to. Perhaps this disease takes the strong first and slowly creeps up upon the others.

_Consuming all perhaps?_

Somehow I can still see her eyes, even from where I am on the ground. That stare is all consuming. It numbs my mind, even as my body continues to try and slip away. Instinct, that's what it's running on, instinct. Yet, I feel my back bump into something.

_It's no dream, is it?_

I don't need to look to know it's the wall, but still I manage to turn around anyway, and I see that, no...it's not the wall.

_"We're sorry for your inconvenient..._

A curious feeling overtakes me. It creeps all the way up my body, stiffening me, consuming me. Maybe the stone has finally caught me to, for I can't even squeak. A boy, with piercing eyes and a pale face to match his silver head, stares down at me, his face emotionless, just before all goes black.

_...tragedy..."_

I'll be seeing you again soon, won't I Asuna?

_"I'm sorry I didn't listen to you. Looks like I got caught anyway..."_

+--1--+

Interesting. I'll cut that one here. How long is it by the way?

The actual challenge is around: 505 Words, not including the introduction and things, or the title. Meh. It _is_ more than 10.

+--2--+

A second challenge huh? Okay then. You are awaiting my counter strike? Well, here it is then! You sunk my battleship! I will destroy two of your war tanks and tank your cruiser with me!

This challenge is named in honor of the theme I used to write it, which is an Advance Wars battle theme from Days of Ruin. Ehh you say? You used a battle theme to write a love tale? If you hear the song, you'll understand. It's Isabella's theme, the name is this challenge's title. It fits for Negi though. No, you don't have to spell it out, I got it, and yes, I am brave enough to take on my own work!

_**Challenge Three: Lost Memories.**_

It was the weekend, and a clear, beautiful weekend it was. A bright, early morning sun was out, and Anya somehow found herself out of her bed and down the ladder at this hour. She was confronted by Negi, who, at five of clock in the morning on a weekend with nothing to do, was snoozing on a table top, test papers graded and neatly stacked off to one corner.

His glasses had been pushed up to bunch his front bangs, and his face, was for once, blank of any bitterness. He was asleep after all, and at sleep was perhaps the only time he could look his age, something Anya couldn't help but notice.

Here, this way, Negi didn't look like a powerful Magi-sensei, or a dedicated teacher, he looked like a cute kid her age. Negi had always caught her with his power, his skill, his casual hero attitude, but he had always wore a hood in school...she never really got to appreciate his looks too much.

She knew what she was doing was wrong when she reached out to touch his hair, but she couldn't help it, it was such a similar color to hers, and it proved just as soft to the touch, yet, as expected, that simple touch sparked Negi into action.

He snapped awake, pulling his short sword, which he wore close to him just about everywhere except the shower, half way out before he saw who his "attacker" had been. He relaxed a bit as his eyes narrowed, his face going right back to its original poker-ready, stance.

He spoke in a whisper to her. She always noticed how he talked to her. With others, he used such big words, or bad ones. With her, he tried to keep them small, and kind. Why? It was true she didn't understand most of them, but it made her feel like he was babying her...

'Anya...why did you wake me up?"

Why? She didn't mean to. She just...touched him. Negi was such a light sleeper, one could swear he was in the army or something before. Awake and ready at the slightest provocation, ready to slice!

"I..I didn't mean to..."

Negi sighed and his shoulders slumped. He pushed back the chair he was sitting in and took a glance at the table top. It was clean, not a drop of saliva. Getting up, he walked to the room where everyone slept and grabbed his toothbrush. He was up now, so most likely he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. Anya followed him.

"Magi-sensei...."

He turned his head a bit to the side as he walked to go to the bathroom, indicating he was listening. She paused a bit, Negi was so...what? She had no words in her vocabulary to describe the boy.

"Can we play today?"

The sentence came out of its own volition, and Negi paused in mid-step. Play? Since when did he play? Play of all things? Play?! Why that was, that was just...just...play. Hell. Play. That word was something he...never thought about. Anya's question had caught him quite off guard this early morning. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, but the idea seemed novel for the weather.

The rising sun seemed to agree with him there, if he was more poetic, or stupid in his eyes, he would have said it was eagerly awaiting him to try this novel idea of playing. Anya covered her eyes with her hands when Negi slowly turned around, ready for the inevitable blast that would come.

Yet it didn't. Instead, she felt hands, just the right size to match hers, grasp her wrists and pulled her hands from her face, to reveal Negi's face just a bit closer than she was ready for. She instinctively moved back, but was anchored by his hands holding her arms in that same simple way. She could see Negi swallow before answering.

"Play huh? Well...it's not like I have anything else to do today...but the first student who asks me a question or wants some study time I'm back here, okay? I was planning on checking if we needed anything from the grocery, you can come with me...then _maybe_ we'll play."

_Memories...they are funny things._

Did he actually say maybe? Was he serious? Maybe the early morning was something that even had an effect on the powerful sensei...

A bit later, Negi walked along with Anya, his hands were full of groceries, so there was no stopping Anya from latching onto one of his arms like she had done at Kyoto. He rolled his eyes at first, but after awhile just settled into the routine. He picked up a couple strawberries he didn't need for her, after all, if they were going somewhere, why not get something? Nothing wrong with giving the girl strawberries, right?

They made her lips a bit too red, as if she were wearing lipstick. He took out a napkin, and shaking his head up to the heavens at the girls ditzyness, dutifully wiped the mess from her mouth. For some crazy reason, she blushed, which made him feel a bit off kilter.

_The time you have lost, growing so fast, Negi._

Who the hell told the girl to look so...cutish like in a helpless blush, huh? He must be on some kind of drugs. Early mornings....

Finally, the groceries were put away, and Negi settled into this..."play" stuff with Anya. They had gone back out, for Negi did not want to hear any cat calls from Asuna or Konoka about him being around Anya playing a game...

They ended up, in all of the things to end up in, a sandbox. Hell if he understood it, but Anya was making a mess of her current clothes with sand, while he tried to keep his suit clean. Seeing this, Anya picked up a handful of the stuff and, grinning wickedly, threw it at him right in the face, which and unsuspecting Negi allowed to hit dead center.

"The hell!?"

He didn't know why, but he picked up a handful of his own and chucked it at her.

_I'll give you that back. All those times you could have had._

The shot heard around the world, this crossfire turned into a fully fledged sand war, in which both parties job was to make the other a complete mess of dry and wet sand or the dirt underneath it. Negi actually opened his mouth to call a cease fire once, but swallowed a ball of sand instead.

In the end, both of them wound up lying side by side, staring at the sky, covered in sand and breathing heavily, but somehow smiling. Yes, Anya had to make sure but yes, the boy had a small smile on his face. The clouds were beautiful and the day was still brilliantly young.

Anya couldn't help but laugh, one cloud looked like a seal up there. Negi turned his head to look at her a bit, and then his smile cracked once, a bit wider. He remained that way, just watching her laugh at the different shapes the clouds made in her mind.

So much time he had lost, growing up, huh? He began to point out odd clouds, asking her what shapes she thought they were. Anyone who passed just thought they were two little kids. After all, those who knew Negi-sensei wouldn't think he'd be caught dead in a sand box, covered in grime, but that didn't matter.

What mattered was that, for once, he was happy, happy without needing a reason, just happy, and Anya had been the cause.

_All those...Lost Memories._

+---+

That's it for that one, I'm out of time, not time in challenge wise, but I have to hightail it to class time. Total words here...1292. Fits perfectly, but does it pass the test? That's up for you to decide.

MFT, awaiting your judgement, and your next bout.


	5. Challenge Bout Three: Mind's Medicine

Holy wows, these challenges are...FACINATING! ....Aww man, I've been listening to Caulder's theme to much...I'm strating to sound like him...Stil up on Advance wars. Galerians, I accept the challenge, your third sword! That will be the most difficult for me after all. I have never gotten the chance to peek at your story, so I need to do a quick look and hope I can handle him....

If I make an OC for this off the top of my head, they will almost certainly be either an overpowered flat character or one I won't be able to let go of. Negi, get over here!

**Donald Forthe:** Are you ready to rumble yet?! Can I do the breakdowns?! Please!

"...The heck did you come from?! I thought I stuffed you back in the box of insanity where you belong!"

**Donald Forthe: **"I got out. I dragged Pat with me to."

**Pat**: Hi.

"Darn it...fine, bore me readers and do the stats on these opponents. I'll think about how I can handle this challenge."

**Donald Forthe**: Great! All right, the break down is this folks, in one corner, we have the impressive and powerful yet..shy?! Hell is he shy for?!

"Are you going to be serious or do I have to kick you?"

**Donald:** Okay, okay. Just about Five foot ten this man stands, and his power, regardless of what he may say, is quite incredible! Don't ever let him hear you say that, though, he will blatantly deny it. Such a...gentleman? Humble man? Anywho, he'll crush Negi and then offer him his assistance...

**Pat**: Hold it right there Donny. Crush our young Negi? I think not. Negi will wipe the floor with him and leave his broken body to the paramedics.

**Donald**: Donny huh? This is where we disagree, you see, Teleportation, plus his incredible strength, will instantly win this match, hands down, for Wataru.

**Pat**: This is where you are wrong, Negi will break his soul with HeartBreaker and shatter him mind whole with Royal magic...

"ENOUGH! Good lord, you two can argue all day, can't you? I'LL do it then! Who are YOU rooting for...I wonder?"

Negi Springfield vs Wataru Shinozaki

Approximate Height: 3 feet 2 inches / 5 feet 10 inches

Approximate Weight: 46 Pounds / 132 Pounds?

Known Specializations: Wind, Fire, / Fire, Wind,

Darkness, Lightning / Weaponry: Blades

Weaponry: Blades, Gun, / Hand to hand

Daggers, throwing knives. / Chi

Hand to hand

Chi

"Bargaining" Chips: HeartBreaker / Teleportation

Royal Magics / Shinmeiryuu Ougis/Techniques

Pros: Versatility, small size, / Strength, speed,

Power, speed / Power, Level headedness

**Pat**: Wow...you did a whole chart.

'That is why you were in a locked box and I'm still here, now shoo so I can begin writing...and take your Donald with you!! "

+---+

The starting time is...now 9:25 AM

_**Challenge Four: A Meeting of Minds.**_

We all have our differences, and you never know who you may see anywhere you go. Sometimes you meet new friends, and sometimes...

You find enemies.

Negi sat, twirling HeartBreaker between his fingers after having wiped it clean of the mess it had gotten on it from his previous battle. He had an hour break before he would be tossed in again into this area they called the arena. How the heck he ended up here was of no consequence, all he knew was that the fighters here were interesting, and no one cared if you used magic here, so here he was. Simply training against air was, well, boring. He fiddled with the meter on his arm.

Who the heck invented these things anyway? They were supposed to go down to signify loss of vitality, it was a way of eliminating your opponent, You didn't kill them, you just beat down the bar until it emptied. The bar erected a shield around you equal to a certain endurance, measured by your strength. The lower it got, the worse you felt, until you collapsed when it drained dry. If you tried to cut someone's head off for example, the shield would stop you, but the opponent would feel the damage done..even if it was not.

To lighten the mood perhaps.

The last opponent had gotten Negi down to a third of his "Health" per se before Negi conked him out, so the boy was a bit eager to see who was his next victim here. Apparently, the higher up you went, the more predetermined "Health" you had. At the start. A measure was added to the winner after every battle, because, obviously, the higher up you went, the more powerful the blows would be, so you needed a higher health for the battle to mean anything...

Honestly, it was just a shield with a bar to show its strength and a nerve stimulator. A simple enough thing for a good enough game. Although, if the blow was powerful enough, it would still draw blood from the opponent.

A whistle sounded off in the distance as Negi looked up. It wasn't his turn, but the guy next to him paled. That was _his_ signal, for there were two different tournaments going on. The boy knew this man was dead meat, for he had barely won his last one, while his opponent won easily. Oh well. Not like he was going to _die_ if he lost...right?

A few minutes later, Negi heard a cheer, and the door to where he was waiting did not open, meaning, just as he suspected, his friend had just lost a battle. Where did people go when they lost though? He saw countless people lose to him, but he never got to see where they went.

Maybe this was all a dream that when you lost, you went back to reality. Or, it was simply his own dream, which, upon winning he would wake up, or lose...he doubted the losing part however, even as rumors of who he was scheduled to fight flew wild. He had twenty minutes left to prepare, so there was plenty of time to be nervous, but Negi wasn't the type now, was he? Look, see, fight, ask questions during fight, or later, who cares. No nervousness before battle, just the travel to battle.

He tightened the laces on his boots, retying them for good measure and feeling the hilts of both daggers there. His hands traveled up to where two kunai were tied loosely to his belt, along with his gun and two reloads. Still, the hand flitted off to the side to feel for HeartBreaker. He had yet to use it in this tourney, but he had a feeling he might bring out his second blade here. His short sword was, as always, sheathed under his shirt, close to his body in front. He felt for his magical reserves, which were just about replenished, and he was at the top of his energy, he was only getting agitated as the minutes dragged on.

Finaslly, a trumpet. His signal, for the final rounds. He got up, and as the doors opened to reveal the sun shining through to play on his face, he stepped forth into his destiny.

((Checking up. 9:55 AM.))

His opponent was opposite him, a teenager, perhaps around sixteen. He couldn't see a blade on him, but that never stopped Negi being wary. His eyes shone an odd, golden hue, and Negi sought to capture them with his own fire red orbs. He wore almost all black, which contrasted Negi in his light brown jean pants and short sleeved overcoat with white shirt. This man stood out, Negi blended in.

An announcer called for bets, while the main speaker introduced the two combatants, but Negi ignored it all, his vision focusing on his one opponent. The signal for the start of the match came, and the boy's hands came out, magic running along them in a brilliant purple hue, shining there as he held it in reserve for but a split second before calling out his spell release to the cool day air.

"Rastel Mascir Magister!"

Even as he called out his spell release, he noticed his opponent had yet to move. What, was he nuts? Nonetheless, Negi rushed him. His mouth opened anyway though, to speak to the man, after all, it was rude just to punch someone just like that yah know!

"Oii, you, the match has started, do something!"

Just as Negi was about to reach him, rearing back his arm for a punch to the gut, the man in front of him neatly sidestepped and simply brought up his foot, almost as if to trip Negi up or hit him in the gut, but Negi managed to jump over it.

"I'm aware of that, but rushing an opponent you know nothing about is unwise."

Negi landed on his feet, facing the opposite direction he had been, his opponent doing likewise. Negi came at him again, his fist once more reared back, but his opponent once again sidestepped, brining up his knee, but this time, Negi, while jumping over it again, grabbed his leg with his free hand and tried to overbalance the man. He wound up on the ground, for his opponent's feet were quite well planted on the ground. Negi sprang up, and eyed him.

"Are you going to continue this or give up?"

_Sagitta Magica, Undecim Spiritus_

"Oh hell yes, I'm going to continue this."

_Lucis!_

Springing back at him once more, this time Negi landed about a foot away from him before swinging out his foot for a kick to the kidney, at the same time letting loose his arrows of light near point blank at the other's face. However, Negi was not expecting his response to be to simply..disappear.

"Pardon me. I'm over here."

Negi barely managed to dodge in time. He spun around and dropped to the floor just as his opponent sent a powerful uppercut like punch at him. The uppercut starts low, so if Negi had not gone all the lower, it would have hit him and sent him soaring upward. As it was, Negi, on the ground, performed a leg sweep, which his opponent dodged.

_Sagittan Magica, Undecim Spiritus_

((Checking, 10:25 AM))

Negi jumped up just as his opponent was preparing to kneel and tried to punch him in his face using his lowered height, but the man sprang off to the side easily. Negi then began to gather his mind together, looking for a way to break his current visage by attacking mentally. His opponent sent another fist at him, which grazed by Negi's head, he had been distracted gathering his mental fortitude.

_Ingus!_

Once more unincanted arrows sprang from his fingertips and his opponent swiftly avoided them with a few odd sidesteps. Wataru disappeared again, and Negi whirled around just in time to see a foot come up and crash into his midsection. At the same time, Negi let loose his mental attack on the man, raking at his mind with powerful, sharp mental claws, causing him to stumble back and allowing Negi to recover.

"Sagitta Magica, Trginita Spiritus Fulgurans!"

_Sagitta Magica, Trginita Spiritus Obscurans!_

Darkness and lightning both gathered around his body before shooting forth, and Negi charged after them, building another mental barb as he went. As he expected, Wataru dodged his arrows of darkness neatly before disappearing once more, and Negi jumped off to the side while turning around, but he felt a foot slam into his kidney area.

_Damn, I went the wrong way!_

The boy released his barb again, not quite the rake he had done before, only enough to really make the man shrink back a bit, and allow Negi to turn him fall into a kind of cartwheel away form to face his front. Negi then realized his opponent was once again still.

"Do you insist on fighting me...really?

Gritting his teeth, Negi rose his fists, which began to condense with chi before he, in a flash, drew out his short sword, transferring the glow to it, pushing energy into it to fortify its potency. He held the blade level even as he rose a foot and tugged out a blade from his boot sole. A dagger and a short sword, both glowing bright.

_Veniant Spiritus Glaciales Obscurantes..._

"Hell do you think I've been doing, trying to invite you for flipping British tea?!"

"As you wish..."

Negi rushed at him again, now having his two blades held out in front of him as if to spit the man on them, but once more, his opponent disappeared, yet Negi stopped on a dime and spun in a circle, flashing out his chi infused blades in all directions around him. His opponent had not teleported close to him however, not that close. He still needed to jump back slightly however, the reach of the short sword was slightly longer than he had anticipated.

_Cum Obscuratione Flet Tempestas Nivalis! _

"Ex Somno Exsistat Exurens Salamandra..."

He came again, and even as he came, blades at the ready, he was trying to formulate a plan of how he would get this guy. Negi was fast, but he was faster with that odd..teleportation of his. Negi yelled out to all who cared his next spells conclusion, just as he swung his blade high to try and cut man through the midsection downwards.

_Nivis Tempestas Obscurans!_

"Inimicum Involvat Igne! Captus Flammeus!"

Wataru disappeared again even as his fiery captor lashed out, but Negi spun around with his blades out and let loose his unincanted spell point blank. Finally, something hit, as his opponent received it full on in the midsection, getting blasted back a distance, Negi grinned then. Yet he was once again, not prepared for another quick teleport, and for the other to finally show some ability on his part.

"Kaze no Ryuu..."

_Crap!_

Negi jumped off to the side, twisting as he did so to try and avoid the inevitable attack, but he did not know what it was or even what it's range would be, and as such, he landed right in the bull's-eye for it...His opponent's fist was clenched tightly, and then, the forward launch...

"...Kamaitachi."

"Deflexio!"

Powerful cyclones, a whole multitude of them, erupted from his fist straight at Negi, blasting him quite a bit backwards, but thankfully doing no damage, for his spell held, although the attack did eventually shatter it. Yet, by that time, it was enough so that Negi knew a pattern to try and dodge.

"Evocatio Valcyriarum Contubernalia Gladiaro!"

_Sagitta Magica Trignita Spiritus Ingus!_

((Checking up: 10:56))

When the other let loose his move, Negi revealed himself ready and rushed his opponent, shooting like a madman. Wataru's widened a trifle before he was forced to disappear again and appear behind Negi.

"Age Capiant!, Contra Pugnent!"

Negi's copies surrounded him, a shield to Wataru's attack, and Negi let loose his fire arrows with a deadly accuracy, yet even so, the other managed to dodge most of them, although a few claimed a couple scraps from his sleeves, singeing them.

"You don't fight me seriously and you're going to get yourself killed boy!"

Oddly, this statement came from Negi to Wataru, and it seemed to spark something in him. His feet surrounded in a dark aura, a compilation of darkness upon darkness, and he began to float. His golden eyes burned with a fire that wasn't there before a fire that said, in so few words: "Oh, _now_ It's on." The other disappeared from view just as Negi smiled and appeared at Negi's side, almost getting spitted on Negi's blade, for he had swung it to stay there.

"Key thing about your teleportation. You can't occupy the same space as something else, and in the instant of transport, I don't think you change direction, can you? If someone waits until the very moment you transport, and sticks their blade where they expect you'll be. If you appear there..."

_Aestuo continuo in nox noctis meus flamma..._

Negi spun around with his blade, slashing down and making Wataru simply jump to the side.

_...incidere per obscurum valde levitas, convenio..._

"You'll have a blade sticking right through you, won't you? You'd better watch out with tha tlittle trick of yours. What happens if someone forces you to teleport to a specific location and there's a person there, or a weapon? If it's small enough it'll end un inside you, cutting you to bits or completely destroying your insides, and if it's too big...you'll be torn apart won't you?"

_...ego sum vestri famulatus rip continuo... _

Negi tossed his gun into his belt as he rushed his opponent again, bringing out, finally, HeartBreaker to gleam in the sunlight. He jumped to the side to avoid a kick and spun around to meet Wataru's fist with the fist that held his short sword. The resulting shockwave send the boy skidding quite a few feet backwards, but he was still grinning, like a mad man now.

"Sagitta Magica, Centum et Nonaginta novem Spiritus Obscurans!"

Negi sent arrows after arrows at the boy, in all directions now, from all over his body to prevent him from teleporting and performing a back attack. Negi carefully watched where he dodged and closed the ring of arrows until Wataru was forced to teleport to one area, in which Negi instantly released his deadly creation, the higher arch of the highest mid class beam spells.

_Abyssus...Levitas!_

The spell barreled at him, and the other was forced to take it head on with his frontal fist out...there was nowhere else to go. The spell only lasted for about six seconds, but it was a devastating six seconds of punishment for both of them, for Negi collapsed on one knee, his magic kaput. Wataru was still standing, and approached him a bit slowly.

"You've fought very well, but I think it's over now. You should go and get some rest and see to your-"

"No."

Negi placed a hand on his knee, and used it as leverage to push himself up, and up, until he was halfway to standing. He had no magic to throw right now, but that didn't mean he was done. He grimaced and forced himself all the way up. His opponent frowned slightly.

"Are you sure-"

Negi actually gnashed his teeth, and animal barely constricted by his leash in this cage.

"Hell no am I giving up. HeartBreaker..."

He held up the blade and it began to glow a blood red. His short-sword shined in the daylight, showing his defiance.

((Checking up 11: 25))

"...will always answer to my call. I'm not done fool. I'm a demon because I've kill so many of them, I've spilt their blood on my hands until it became mine. Now...for real, En Garde!"

The boy rushed Wataru, pushing all of his adrenaline and what little power he could drain from his surroundings into his body and thus his speed. He swung like a madman, spinning, parrying, dodging. Wataru kept an easy pace against him, dodging and teleporting, but the technique, if used excessively, is tiring. It does need concentration and a bit of power after all, just like the shundo. Negi's grin became wider and wider. He was a fighter at heart, and his magic, while his main strength, was only a supplement in the end to his fighting.

Finally, after what seemed to be forever, Negi nicked his opponent on the calf with his short sword, drawing visible blood. The small boy almost roared like the animal he could be. His eyes still burned, and showed that their red color came not only from genes, but from a captive fire that never ran out of the fuel that kept them burning, not until his life was snuffed out, the candle in the wind.

"First blood is mine!"

Still, this did not mean Wataru was done, by far, he was not. He dodged and blocked like hell, and finally, when an opening came, he rushed in with a fierce abandon, calling out another technique that made Negi slam up both his blades in defense.

"Honoo Ryuu...Maouken!!"

The powerful blast seemed to shake the very earth they stood on, and Negi was sent skidding back so quickly, you could swear he was flying. He slammed into the wall of the stadium, not a petty thing, for they had been all the way on the other side, and created a crater with his body, he coughed, and a single drop of blood came from him. He saw his bar for the first time. It was less than half, and had turned yellow. Wataru's was still green goddamnit! Although it two was hovering very near to where Negi's was. The tiny mage grinned.

"I fight best when I'm backed into a damn corner boy! Watch yourself!"

Wataru had come at him to follow him to the wall, but Negi pulled himself out, even if he did so painfully, first and dodged off to the side, swinging his chi infused blades out. Once more they entered into a fray of slashing and dodging, only this time Wataru was not afraid to pull off his "Demon God's Fist". In fact, he tried it twice more, sending Negi flying into another wall a second time, but the third Negi finally managed to dodge.

"Kaze no Ryuu, Kamaitachi!"

The cyclones came, and Negi artfully, although, admittedly warily, dodged them. Negi's smile had faded into a set determination, and his eyes said plainly his will to stay alive. His little health bar, by this time, had finally turned red, but Wataru had finally turned yellow. Negi knew it had been a long while, and he had been steadily forcing his body to draw magic as fast as he could from his surroundings, but it still wasn't enough...still not yet.

He pushed harder, forming a spear of thoughts to launch at him all the while, and finally managed to make HeartBreaker land, slicing a thin line along the other's arm...making the other grimace, stumbling back. Negi capitalized by shooting off his mental attack, slashing out again to catch him with his short sword along the other arm, saying as he did.

"HeartBreaker's effect is quite sinister. It makes a person relive their worst memories...feeling the pain, the loss, the sorrow that they had at that time, only multiplied and formed into a weapon. It hurts, doesn't it?"

_What kind of honorable person uses that kind of weapon?!_

Wataru might have been struggling with memories with a shaken mind due to Negi's mental attack, but he still saw the boy rush at him and raise him blades. Wataru kicked him right in the midsection, sending him flying, but not before Negi slashed down and had his blades make two long cuts all down his right leg, the one he had kicked with. This prompted a return of the plaguing memories.

Finally the boy's health was red! Brilliant, glorious red! Negi landed on his feet, a bit painfully, but launched himself back in the fray, raising his short sword high. He spoke even as he did so, letting Wataru know he had "over-heard" him.

"I told you, I am a DEMON! I have little to no honor in how I defeat my opponents! If I don't deem them worthy! I deemed you worthy to feel the sting of this weapon, accept it!"

Wataru quickly dodged off to the side, but Negi's short sword was there, slicing up and catching him across the chest. Yet the other would not give up and caught Negi right in the face with a well placed upper cut, sending him soaring upwards.

"Honoo Ryuu...Maouken!!"

The hit caught Negi right where it hurt, in the middle, sending him flying further upwards and to slam into the ground not long afterwards, far away from a panting Wataru. His bar was empty.

"Strong...so young but strong...you are quite an opponent.."

Yet, the other stirred. It was barely visible, but if one looked closely..no the bar was not empty. A sliver remained, and that sliver allowed Negi to stand up, ever so slowly.

"I am not...."

Standing up fully, he was panting heavily and a mess, a torn, bedraggled mess, but he was still Negi and he stuffed his short-sword in his belt and held HeartBreaker in his left hand as his right finally glowed with magic, renewed, sweet, magic.

((Checking in 11:55..I need to end this...NOW! I've got class at 12:10...))

_To Sumbolaion Diakonētō Moi_

"This battle my friend, while fun, is over..."

Negi clenched his fists, drawing as much magic as he could, almost to the point where one could see it coming into him. Wataru could feel that this was not good, and rushed him, he cursed the fact that he had "spammed" his Teleportation earlier on, and now could not use it, he was too tired of mind.

_hē Krustallinē Basileia! Epigenēthētō, Taiōnion Erebos... Haiōnie Krustalle! _

"Sorry it had to end this way, maybe we'll see each other sometime, for a real good fight to make this one look pansy."

He was halfway there, just a bit more and he would be there, he rose his fist, bleeding from numerous of his own wounds, he put his determination into the last bit, his Demon God's Fist.

_Pasais __Zōais ton Ison Thanaton, hos Ataraxia! Kosmikē Katastrophē!_

He was there, and just as he reached and was unleashing, Negi held out his own free hand, stabbing straight out with HeartBreaker at the same time.

"Bite Me."

The Ice exploded all around him, just as HeartBreaker stabbed and Negi felt the blast form the Demon God's Fist. Both of them were blasted backwards as the whole earth seemed to tilt off its axis, and in the end, both were face down on the ground, and both of them, very definitively, had empty bars....

+--1--+

Time out: 12:02. Here my friend, Galerians, is my strike! Who wins? Well, between Negi and Wataru, it looks like a tie! Although I don't think I quite handled Wataru correctly, but I tried. I'll let you decide.

Words: Approximately 3853

Time: Two hours and seven minutes.

To class!!

...and I'm back. My class was CANCELED! Good lord. What AM I doing here today? I came here at seven because the bus was incredibly fast and roads empty, waited around until nine for my class, go to my lab classroom, find out my first three hour class is canceled, decide to do the challenge, do so, get up at 12:02 to get to my other classroom for that class, and find out at 12:12 that that three hour class has ALSO been canceled. I was supposed to be here until five o clock, the extra two hours for homewrok...but now what am I supposed to do now?

ArchangelWings! I'll take your challenge then! Although I wonder if you mean the original Negi or My Negi. Ehh, My Negi would be harder to do...OKAY THEN, I'LL DO MINE, MUWAHAHA!

**Pat:** You really must excuse him, he's off his meds. **Donald:** Really? But wasn't he always like this? "Didn't I tell you to leave? Did I not tell you to take your Donald with you?!" **Pat**: He was like this before you dunce, when we were still around. "...And you're the reason I'm like it again! Now scram!"

Start: 1:16 PM

+--2--+

_**Challenge Five: Medicine Supreme**_

Why? She really wanted to understand. They had called her too childish, her acrobatics held no real meaning they claimed. A simple child performing an art, a porcelain doll spinning in a music box. No depth, no true artistry, and so this was the end of the line for her. That stung her. They would not take her, and she had no time to rehearse again. No, there was no going around it, she didn't make the team. How...? She had practiced so hard! But no, she didn't make the cut at all. She had the skill and the moves, but not the feeling the depth of character. She needed to simply grow up.

Her instructor had yelled that at her, that last part, grow up. Grow up, why didn't she. That hurt. A lot. Not just what he said, for he said a whole lot more that brought her to tears, that sent her flying out of the room on the power of her legs, but it was how he said it. He practically radiated the statement "You're useless, you'll never do anything right." from him. All of it coming to crash on her.

She really didn't know where she was going. All she knew was that she was outside, running along a road in which both sides had forest. She was going somewhere, but she neither cared nor wanted to care where. Her streamers where still in her hands, fanning behind her in the wind. She had forgotten her coat, she had even forgotten her usual clothes, still in her gymnast outfit, she ran, the moon light reflecting off her suit.

Sometime later, she stopped, panting. She fell to her knees, now on the hard cement of the sidewalk. It grazed her leggings along her knees, biting her skin, but she didn't notice. She just had to get away from that yelling, it still resounded in her head. Her utter failure. A figure came up, tiny, walking along while being heavily loaded with groceries. She couldn't help but look up, her face was still stained with the tears that had come.

Makie, always bubbly and cheerful, but easy to confuse, and even easier to bring down. Such simple things brought her happiness. You take those away, and she goes down, all the way. They had done that to her, by destroying her dreams with a fail swoop of their hands, dashing her hopes like so many torn roses in a high wind.

"The hell are you doing here...aww crap. I really don't want to have to deal with this..."

The speaker, the figure weighed down with baggage, was Negi Springfield. The said boy put down one set of groceries to fish around in his pocket for a pack of tissues. Now she was annoying her sensei, bothering him, when all he had done was go out for groceries. Couldn't she do anything right?!

Negi found the tissues and handed her the pack, but the girl shook her head, trying to get up and leave him be, but her legs wouldn't hold her anymore, she fell forward nearly landing on top of Negi, but the boy managed to dodge off to the side quickly, catching her around the middle to prevent her from completely falling, but she knocked over a couple of his bags, sending a hail of oranges cascading out of one of them, and a milk carton out of another, which exploded upon contact with the ground, dousing Negi's shoes in milk.

She always made a mess of things, and now look, she had made a mess of Sensei's groceries, she should leave, before she caused any more trouble...but Negi painfully lifted her half upright, so she came to a rest on her knees again. She looked up at him, for he had taken out a few tissues from the portable pack and quickly lashed out his hand, pausing the quick movement to gently wipe away the moisture from her face.

"Of all the annoyances of a day."

See? You're annoying sensei. Yet, when she tried to get up, Negi put his hand on her shoulder, keeping her firmly down. His voice floated to her ears, a mixture of annoyance, anger, and curious concern.

"Oii, didn't you see what happened last time you tried to get up? Stay down and let me see what the hell is wrong will you?"

She stayed still then. After all, he was right, and once again, she was being stupid. Ayaka-lincho was right, always childish, always a failure. That was her. A single tear fell again, and Negi caught in quickly in his hand. He bent down, in the milk, and looked at her face to face.

"Hey, hey, hey. Enough already. Hell is the matter, did someone die?"

She shook her head, violently, making her dizzy... No, no one died, except her hopes, nothing had been lost, except her dreams. She woozed a bit. Tired. That's what she was. Tired. Even a failure needed rest after all. Negi extended his hands and held her steady by her shoulders.

In that moment, she thought. Do failures find help, real friends... love even? His face was so close, yet so annoyed. Why was she thinking like that? Yet, had a boy ever showed interest in her? Not really, no. She was too stupid, too air headed after all. Yet here was the smartest one she had ever known, and he was concerned for her.

Concern is not love you failure.

No, but it's concern. A basis for...what? Care. Basis? What kind of word was that? How did she even know that word? Negi shook her and she realized he had been talking, and she had been falling alseep on him. Her eyes zoomed open, eyes such a similar color to her own looked back at her. Negi blinked.

"Okay, we have life! You're just friggin tired I bet. I'll walk you home, how's that? You've got a nasty scrape o your knee, but nothing to major. Nothing a bit of antiseptic and ointment can't handle. Can you at least stand and hold unto the bridges railing for a bit?"

Oh, that was right, they were on the bridge. Negi helped her up and she leaned against the supporting pillar for the arch the bridge had. She stared into the water looking at it's depths. A single, insane thought flashed there.

What would happen, and who would miss her if she just suddenly, jumped off? Nothing, no one? She would just cease to exist, a single failure gone from the world. She didn't realize, but Negi was shaking her again, yelling.

"The hell are you trying to do girl?! Jump off?!"

She realized her body had moved. Obeying some primal instinct maybe, but her feet were already on the railing a hand on a spindly support wire. Negi grabbed her foot and a quick pull had her tumbling down, right on top of him.

He yelled from where he was, a bit muffled, but she still heard him. She lay on top of him, seeing the stars. How had she gotten there? How had her body known her heart's desire? Why did Sensei try to stop her?

"I don't care what the fricken reason was for you crying, or for you trying to go kamikaze on me, but don't you dare be so fricken selfish again!"

Selfish? She rolled off him, a bit painfully, and watched as he got up to look at her. She was on her hands and knees, like some kind of pink haired cat begging for the spilt milk that had already nearly finished it's seeping into the ground. How could she have been selfish, removing a failure form the world? Her face plainly said that, and Negi answered her.

"Hell, maybe you didn't take your damn Zoloft, But never forget there are people out there who would wonder where the hell you got to, and worry. There are people who care about you, just like any other flipping person out there. Huh?! Stand up, you're making me sick down there."

A single word, a single syllable, came from her, one that dripped with surprise and quite a bit of hurt. It was obvious to Negi that, either she was on drugs, or she was at an all time low.

"Care...?"

He rolled his eyes. Hell. Hell, hell, hell. Why did things like this always happen to him? Walking up to the girl, he grabbed her shoulder, squeezing hard, but not for pain, he was showing support, somehow making the powerful hold bolster instead of pain.

"Yes you idiot. Care. If nothing else, your teacher cares about you. Now get the hell up and let's walk!"

The voice almost forced her up on its own, and she looked at him level eyed. He nodded. At least that was good. He bent down to get what was left of his groceries, and Makie's head fell again.

"Oh but Sensei, your stuff..."

"Forget about it."

He helped her get past the milk and then they walked, every once and awhile Negi stopping to make sure the girl was still with him or not about to fall, or fall asleep for that matter. Finally, they managed to approach the dorms, and Makie popped a question to Negi, making him pause.

"Sensei...are you a friend?"

It was a simple question, yet Negi felt she meant something else by popping that on him. He didn't say anything for a couple more steps, for he had begun walking again after a pause. By the time he got to the door however, he turned around and answered her.

"I'm your teacher. I suppose that's code for educated person whose job it to care about you and teach you...I never had friend's Makie...but if you mean if I am a person who will look out for you, or someone who would worry if you jumped off a bridge...yes. I suppose I am."

+---+

Time out: 2:18

What's the words...what's the words...

1672 words.

......

You decide if I passed that one. Time: 1 hour and 2 minutes.


	6. Challenge Bout Four: Servitude

I'm glad it's not over. I'll await your next challenge, meanwhile, Negi will continue his training, as will I continue mine. Don't take too long forging your new weapon now. The next few chapters of Young Negi shall, indeed, show great progress for my little friend, both in the storyline and in his potential, yet, that will only make it more fun in the long run. Archangel, I know the problem now. Like Galerians claimed, you cannot put a multitude of zeros in a review, more than two, for the site rejects it as spam. It also calls non terminating decimals spam, so if I were to place pi or "e" to the ninth decimal place here...(Yes, I know pi and "e" to the ninth decimal place, aren't I sad?) It would generally cut it down to two. I think it did that in one of my chapters already. It created a line separator...but I understand what you want. A two thousand word challenge, correct? You know, an idea came for this the moment I thought how I was going to accomplish it? The scene may seem familiar to you...no time limit huh? Angst..changing emotions like a boiling pot.

Also, a new rule, as proposed by Archangel already.

"If you want me to use _my_ Negi, please type Young Negi, or simply "YN" if you feel lazy. Hey, I'd take YNegi too."

It has one life death situation, and in the end, the life and death situation switches. You know it well...

What, you want a theme for the chapter? I have none...fine. It doesn't fit the story though, but I used "My Immortal" from Evanescence to write this. Try and get the rock version. It's not entirely rock though, only a small piece.

+---+

_**Challenge Six: Servitude**_

A lone figure walked into an empty circle. His eyes narrowed as they were cast in my direction. His foot connected with the barrier in front of him, and it fizzed. He stepped through without a care in the world, as it bent to admit him before it became solid again. In here, there was no wind. No sound could penetrate these walls.

I clutched the bars of my cage tightly. It was him. Just a boy. That's what he looked like, and she realized this just before his power hit her full on. Just a red headed boy with burning eyes and the voice with the inflexions of an adult. The power came then, washing over me, trying to drown me in its encompassing might.

This is what made the boy a man. This power. He breathed in once and tossed his head, the bundle that held his long hair flew back as far as it's constraints allowed before snapping back. He came towards her, his eyes fixed upon hers. My hands feel as if they are glued to these bars. I can't remove them.

If I could, I could look brave, give him what little strength I had so he could fight, but I can't. I can only look weak, absorbing the strength he would send my way. How much could he send before he ran out of it? Before he fell?

His eyes burned. An odd stare, full of conviction, loss, care, annoyance....oh there was too much to count in those eyes. They gave you the feeling of being dunked in ice water, burned by fire, swept away in the highest of winds...all at once. Those same eyes wandered, relieving me of their stare to fix upon the judges, each getting equal treatment before he faced forward, away from me.

No longer could I try to give him what I had, I had nothing, and he couldn't take it now even if I did. It was far too late for that. Another aura of power came, and this one was far more steady, far more overbearing. This was the power of the other, laid bare for all to feel. She walked in, slowly, in-exonerably.

There was no stopping her now, not once her foot entered that circle and the barrier slammed up around them, glowing an affirmative. It was now that they would fight, now that my fate would be decided. Negi's body stiffened and his head dipped forward, his body was ready as hands came out and chants began. Power coursed through both of them, as two mastodons prepared themselves to lock horns.

Only one would survive.

Anya looked on, Negi was faster, but he spoke slowly in the beginning. At first, he sent up a simple Deflexio, but then, out of nowhere, with no chanting at all, even as both of his barriers were destroyed, he sent two different types of arrows crashing down upon her.

He continued unleashing two spells at once, shattering Anya's fear. He was...winning. He was breaking all the rules she knew, making up ones of his own, sending spell after spell at his opponent, two at once, pummeling her, breaking her down, he seemed unbreakable, unstoppable, his power infinite as he slung spells like one would pop skittles in their mouth.

She could feel nothing but awe. He dodged like a tree in high wind, struck like a snake, and his strikes had the power to shatter boulders. He was perfect, and yet his opponent battered him, bringing him down, until the boys spells shoed visible weakening. Her heart could only fall then.

Swallowthorn...what she had seen, what she had lived. She could not go through that again. the woman had no love in her for Anya, she only wanted to hurt Negi, only wanted to play, and have toys to do it with. She only cared for herself in the end, and her enjoyment. How could someone like this win?

Once more, the weakness, the helplessness, it slammed down upon her. He was going to lose and die, leave her all alone. Why?! What did he do to deserve that? He was the good one, it was her who had done the wrong...

No, it was not what he had done, it was what she had done. This was for her sins. Her cheating, her destruction, her fear, he was paying for her sins. He was the angel who would be sacrificed for her. What did she do to deserve that? He was her friend, she didn't want him to be hurt because of her..

He was just a proxy, a sacrificial headdress placed on a person doomed to die. He was simply tossing himself off her and into a fire. No longer would she be the target, but he. He was willing to die, to save her. How? She could never do that..could she?

She couldn't help but speak, and her mouth could only form the name. His name, the name that was tied to this all. It came out weakly, yet still all heard it, even over the clamor of the war in the hemisphere. Yet, _she_ heard it, and it sparked in _her_ a madness.

She snapped out her hand, and it clutched tightly upon air, as a sharp sound came from her mouth, a small Latin word. She felt her cage lifted up, and she lost what little ground she had in standing. Falling to the floor, she watched as her vision shifted and then stopped.

Slowly she fell, her cage turning on its side to hit the barrier. She couldn't scream, she was far to freighted for that. Yet, at the same time, she felt a measure of peace. Here was the answer. She would not have an angel sacrifice his life for her, she would pay for her own sins.

Yet still, some part of her still kept her trying to run along the bars, keep from the burning barrier, even as it began to eat at the cage like a slow moving pool of acid. Her feet would still slip uselessly along them. Yet still, she couldn't help but get one last look at the boy who had gone so far.

He was angry. His fists clenched. She slipped and her shoe caught on the barrier. She could not help but yelp at the pain, as it almost instantly burned away that part of the shoes and kissed her toes with its acidic tongue.

His power was gone, he should accept it and let her die...but he was angry and as she watched, she felt a twitch. Something was happening to the barrier, to her, to everything around them all. A curious draw of power. Her eyes widened, was it hope again? No.

His fists began to glow, and he began to speak out in a voice, in English, saying words she did not quite understand, but as his glowing hands spread up, making all of his visible veins glow, she could only stare. His power was climbing again. Back up to normal and then...and then beyond.

The other paled, yet she seemed rooted to the spot. She could not move to stop him, he was a bomb about to go off, and she had no idea what wire to snip to disarm him, and if she did, it would not have mattered, she had no means to snip the wire.

He actually began to shine, the power coursing around him, the divine force about to unleash it's might upon the earth. His skin became blood red as he became all the darker to contrast the light around him, it was all encompassing, and in the final moments of it, Anya had to let go, finally falling to the barrier, throwing up a hand to cover her eyes, just as he spoke the final words.

"END OF THE WORLD!"

Ice, glorious, beautiful ice, filled and broke the barrier, sending her flying backwards in her cage to slam into a wall, the cage now proving her protector in its final moments. The ice encompassed all, and a scream was issued from inside the sphere, another word, as the pain raked her heart.

In the end, the angel had sacrificed himself after all...

"Catastrophe!"

The ice exploded into trillions of pieces, falling down upon them all like snow, terrible, final snow. In the middle, there was only him, the other was gone, broken up into a million pieces, part of the ice around them. He was lying face down, his body red, sore and terribly disfigured with channels that flowed under the skin, far too large to look normal.

In lying there, he looked at peace...perhaps that was why he did it. It was his way to finally have peace. In a world that had hurt him so, this was his way out, a fight to the death in which one would survive, only now, no one was to survive...or was it? The magus approached him, but the others held him back. He had to get up himself they said.

If one always listened to what they said, they'd be like Anya, locked up in the cage, listening to what they said swirl around in her head...the time passed like nothing, it had no effect on her. One second, she was looking down at the broken form, the next, he was in bed, and she was being told to go to sleep.

When he finally woke up, she was there.

She would serve him now.

+---+

Word count: 1603

Also, a Negi and Ayaka fiction, in which the boy loses control? Oii. Hmm…get back to me on that one, I have to give in this chapter. I'll see what I can do for the next one with that. I'm not ready for two challenges in one again, yet. Still, send in your challenges. I might make a two in one or more next time.

Do you know Young Negi's next chapter, chapter twenty six, is already at 45KB out of goal fifty? Interesting huh, considering I submitted the last one, just yesterday!


	7. Request: Farewell Savior

My flash-drive has decided to go missing. I know I did not leave it at The Sagamore, I saw it when I was unpacking after coming back...I know I did, because it had been on my mind...anywho, since this warrants an extreme possible set back, but also a lot of free time, I am taking a challenge. Galerians...time to enter your world and put on your creator's gloves. Smith a story...you may notice I am trying to write a bit differently too. So, with a long wait, and a sorely overdue heart, I enter. I hope that I don't destroy another's masterpiece.

•••

**Savior**

The night was harsh, a brilliant full moon bearing its light upon the desolate landscape, a giant eye in the clear, black sky. The wind. It rips at me. Tears away what little strength I have and tosses it into the pits of hell, where that open maw awaits eagerly... for my tiny morsel.

My soul. It is content. Convinced of my worth, and my matching fate. Making peace with death, giving up upon life. That is what my mind said. Yet even I knew the truth of those words, which were naught but whispers upon the salty air.

I clung to life, like a small child to its mother. I could not defeat fear, could find no consolation to deal with death. I was weak. Naught would save me, nothing would bend so far down. What would? I was worth no such glory, no such grace.

Stinging my eyes, a breeze toys with the long, pitch dark dress I have been given, the final gift to the departed, a sacrificial right. It clung loosely to me, it's hem torn, serrated like those of a broken wing.

Her broken wings. White wings that should never have survived for so long, the world righting a wrong to long withstanding correction.

I stumble, and a spear prods me in the back. A lone tear is ripped from my eyes by the breeze, the only ones to be shed for my fate. The plank awaits to toss the pitiful into the seas of hell. Those who go do not return, for the angel of death is a savage foe, whom none have managed to ultimately defeat.

I place a single foot upon its base. It shivers, eager. In the darkness all around, there is no comfort. This time, I allow my pain to take me away from it all.

•••

My heart beats in time with my body. Fatigue tossed away by the wind, weakness stabbed through with lack of time. I will not be bound, not by weakness or fate. Life...to live it without the very one I had come to love...that was true death.

I realize that now. Realize that I had been missing the very blossom I had been holding in my hand, that listening to others instead of my heart had led me to trip upon the door mat at the side of me, the pathway that had been available to me, but I had been to blind to see.

The whips me, it's beat against me taking away all weakness, this is what I should have done it tells me. His father had known what to do, to chase after the one that beat along him. I feel my power, once so weak, beat in time with me.

_I won't leave you. Even in losing myself, I won't lose you._

Every look, every movement of her, it compounds upon me further and further what I must do, what I am doing, burns bright the power at my fingertips, tosses more brush upon the bonfire in my soul.

Dust is my companion, and even that flies from me, back from whence it came. The moon to, is watching me, daring me to succeed, watching for me to fail. It is the only other companion I have, and even it shall be left behind. I am alone.

Horizon laughing at me, I draw my magic to my body...

•••

I cry out and stumble again, my hands landing upon the strip in front of me. Once again, a spear prods me. Pain, it consumes me finally. What tiny power that was left within me has fled, and I can only cry.

Yet those tears are silent, my mewls are that of agony. I manage to pull my feet under me, awkwardly before rising again. Another step, and then another, a sharp knife races up my leg, making me whimper again.

So weak, the moon graces me with its simpering gaze. Ahead, the wind ravages, waiting; Cerberus Canyon awaits me as I take a last step. A breeze whips by me, rips by me, an ephemeral, ghostly hand tries to hold me back.

An explosion racks the ground behind me, my imagination playing upon me, the ground collapsing behind me as I prepare to die... Brilliance, exploding radiance, my eyes instinctively close as I offer myself into the open air.

_"No..! I won't leave you."_

•••

Lightning sparks in my hands as I see the dragon's maw open wide. It lances from my hands as I place more power into my speed. I smite a sentry, his eyes wide in clutching a hole in his middle. My hair stands straight up as electricity condenses around me, as solider donning his armor, Raiten Taisou.

My hand comes out as I strike another. They stand in my way, and I push against them. One falls, then another, and third joins he.

All my training, all my strength, useless if I can't save her. Power condenses about me again, exploding outwards as lightning strikes the ground, one, twice, a thousand times as I hold it within me, the ultimate spell becoming my form. Taisou Two lances out, grounding a dozen more.

I move on again. The party is small. The final wall to be broken to claim that which I should never have let go. The Sakura that bloomed in my hand, the one I will close about my hand, the one which shall never again escape my notice, just as I now kick this pebble that presents itself in my way.

•••

The sound of the wind whipping through my ears is that of a thousand explosions, screams of souls, dragging at me from below, impatient to absorb me into their mass, yet, I am pulled back, I cannot fall, even as I finally stumble into the open air.

Only to be closed in upon a pair of open arms. Powerful forces, they envelop my, tired, broken, defeated body, as the voice gives my soul wings. Lifted from the ground, above the very sky. Against him, the words vibrate.

"I said it once, I'll tell you again. I'll only, _only_...look at you, Setsuna."

I open my eyes, in a final attempt to hope. The man who, through all his growth, has never left behind his heart, and his stubborn soul to save all and leave none behind, the one she had given her soul to, had come back to give it back, along with a bit of his.

Savior. The moon dances around him, around us both, and I realize it was not simpering at me for my death, but for my life, my foolishness. He lifts me easily, the lightning stabbing at my eyes. Never have they seen such a sight, and it had been right next to me all this time.

"You, you are my angel, and I can look at no other."

In the air, away from the earth we went, holding me in an embrace whose fire no force could extinguish. He gave her his wings, so together they could fly. He did not run when he came back upon solid ground, but simply walked, allowing only a sole heavenly presence to see his pride.

The knight in shining armor had finally arrived for his princess.

•••

I think I kinda failed in trying to write like another, but I discovered something else instead. Yet, did that too, fail? Here we are, long overdue, this is your request Galerians. Did I satisfy?


	8. Challenge: Battle

The Alfador, I already try to get Young Negi chapters up and out the door in a week. Once, I shipped two chapters in one day! That was insane...As for your challenge, I'll take it, but I warn you, I'm doing other things too, so by the time you see this, It might be past two weeks, but I'll try for you. Taken on the fifteenth.

*Goes back to the manga to see the latest chapter * I'm sorry, but my Negi has such an attitude, it's hard to go back to the original. Heh. I haven't been reading recently. I only decided to catch up when I put that spoiler in my story recently.

You know, I only realized when I was about halfway finished with this challenge in one day...this is a doozy to try and attempt...6000 words probably the longest battle scene I've ever done! I expect to find myself repeating things, this battle may in fact, end up being boring in the end I think...I can only describe a battle so well without getting either to detailed or over using words...hmm.

**_+---+Challenge+---+_**

**_Beast Form_**

Negi looked about the barren landscape. Large spires of rock stuck up from the golden ground, breaking the monotonous mood the sand set. An wide empty space in which he would attempt to end it all. Here it would be.

_My choice._

It was either he finally gained control of Magica Erebia, or it consumed him, his only two choices, in front of his eyes, two pathways to take, two doors in front of him, and her was blindfolded, he knew not which one he would walk through, he only knew it had to be now, away from anyone else.

_To chase after him, to find him, to save this world..._

If he lost control, he had no doubt Eva would be able to handle him, even if this was not actually her. This Eva had no mercy, no fond memories to draw upon for sympathy. Not that he doubted the actual Eva's continence, but there was no excuse here.

_...Fulfill the duty a Magister Magi must._

Motivation for himself perhaps, to get this technique never made for human beings under _his_ control. Motivation to either accept and win over his power, or die trying. The stage was set as the vampire approached him slowly, ready.

"You ready boya?"

Negi's twitched his mouth a bit, but his face was set. He needed to get this under control, Magica Erebia was a terrible thing in the end, it lent him great power, but at what price? His morals? His personality, his humanity...or maybe just his sanity?

Eva rushed at him, her hand outstretched, but Negi shot off to the side to land lightly on the ground, skipped almost in stopping. He drew upon his power. Deep drawing, he probed for the darkness he held inside, bringing it to bubble on the surface.

"Please Evangeline-san...please..."

His hands glowed before they darkened, taking on a shadow hue he knew all to well, his darkest feelings pooling up inside of him. He hated the feeling, but he let it come none the less.

"Please, let me activate it myself..."

He had never discussed how much he hated activating Magica Erebia, not to anyone. Not even to himself did he let the thought dwell. If he did, he would never activate the form ever again, and he needed it.

_Such power could never be bought for free, I knew that the moment my hand unfurled that scroll..._

To defeat Fate, to find his father, to shoulder the great burden this world was placing upon his young shoulders. A young prince who's duty was to serve the world, protect it, whether it be real or not, that wasn't his concern. People were people; they had lives and stories to tell.

_Yet I had wanted the easy way out, no, not the easy way, the fast way. A one way crash course to power...and I had gotten it..._

It was his job to make sure those stories were told out to the fullest.

All of his thoughts were brushed aside as the technique, the dreaded Magica Erebia, crawled up his hands and came upon his arms, the darkness making them shadows, absorbing all light that came their way.

_...but at what cost?_

Gluttony. Greed. Lust. Vanity. Envy. Sloth...Anger, Pride, Covet, Fear, Wrath...they all flooded him. His body was taken and wracked by them, the pain, the joy, the hurt, the fear, the very..._pleasure_ of it all. It wrapped him in a cocoon, threw away all his outward mind, consumed him.

**What reason was he fighting so hard for, living life so scantly for? To what did he owe anyone? Nothing his body told him. He had power, great power, power to take all for his own. The enemy was all he needed to see, destroy the enemy, and you destroy all your problems with them. They can never be forgiven, they have sinned, they are wrong!**

_You are wrong. I must see both the enemy and my friends, those who walk along with me, I am not alone. I owe them my friendship, my power, my sword._

His hands sparked with lightning magic, and his whole body was consumed by the darkness now, as those ever familiar symbols crept along his skin, crawled along him. He shook, what was left of himself shook. No! Such darkness he should never allow to control him! He would fight it!

It shoved him aside, and yet, as Eva approached, he stayed still.

"Good...good...it's almost there...you're controlling it well so far...oh? Perhaps I spoke to soon?"

**What did she have that he didn't anyway?! Why was she the master and he just the student? What superiority did she have over him?! With his power, he could consume her, destroy her, take her power for his own. She was the queen of darkness...but he would be king!**

_No! I must fight, control it, rein it, it's almost over...once the transformation is full...I only have to maintain hold...slowly pull..._

**No, YOU are the one who is wrong, you who are weak. I shall make you strong, have made you strong. You must listen to me! You want to be whole? To have control? She is the one who has torn you apart! It is because of her that you go through this!**

_No! I chose this for myself..._

**Did you...? Or was it because that dead fool told you, you would not have enough power to chase after your father, the one she idolizes? Was it because that other fool told you he was still alive, the red headed sloth? Perhaps it was the very sin in front of you...**

_Wait...no. It was me who chose it all!_

**Perhaps it was she who took a simple boy who loved his father and made him pine for the man, an impossible dream, took him and made him "strong". Took you and drilled into you the need to chase after that irrelevant cloud. It was she who played with you, making you reach for power and then slamming the door in your face, the one who stems your growth right now! It is she who prevents you from seizing your dreams of greatness!**

_..I...I have no dreams of greatness!_

He clenched his fist as his shoulders began to crawl with the symbols of Magica Erebia. Eva saw the sparks that were condensing and halted her advance, calling up her own magic. That was a mistake, a cautionary measure, but still, a grave, grave mistake...

**You have no dreams of greatness? You lie! You dream of being a hero, like your father was, you dream of being strong to take all in your protective hold, conquer all your foes, save this world and take it under your care. You dream of being an ultimate! See now your foolishness!**

_No..no...I am not! I only seek to set this world free of it's bonds, to save it from destruction!_

**The enemy is in front of you, see, she has drawn her power, crush her, now! She will not be forgiven! Never forgiven, crushed under your might, before she takes her blade to **_**your**_** throat...take yours to hers!**

_She...wouldn't...do... that!_

**No?! She is now you fool, you are blind! Never forgive, never waver, fight, destroy all enemies, only the strong survive!**

_..No...NO!_

"Destroy the enemy."

The statement was so simple, yet as his entire body exploded into darkness, the symbols visible on his chest even, the wraith of Eva took a step back, her magic condensing. Here, she had all the powers of her true self, along with a copy of her personality at the time...cruel and calculating, the type to put a hot iron to your open wound if that will seal it, and she cares to do it...and it was her duty to care here.

"Never...NeVER... Forgive...THE ENEMY!"

Negi rushed in, so quickly, Eva had to flip off to the side, her Executioner's sword coming to life, yet Negi was right there in the next instant, alive with electricity as his own blade was bared. She stared into his eyes, or what was left of them.

The grayish black shadows where his eyes once were looked like empty sockets up close, allowing her to peer into his very soul, and all she saw was darkness. This was her technique up close, this was her technique advanced to a point she had never taken it, this was...uncharted territory.

The boy removed his blade from hers and sliced to sever her head from body, but she ducked, stabbing out, but the boy caught her blade with a free hand, shadowy fingers closing upon the shaft and absorbing it...she had to pull away.

She lunged at his side, but he spun, parrying her slash and slipping his blade up for one of her eyes, yet she twisted away, breaking the close contact. She tried another angle, but he met her here too, almost cutting her arm off with his speed.

This was dangerous, he was. Like this, he was a terrible foe, she broke off from him, chanting.

"Lic Lac Li Lac, Lilac!"

She didn't manage to get a spell out however, the boy appeared in her face, his lightning form setting her own skin reverberating against it, hair on the rise. She flipped away from him, incanting without opening her mouth as he rushed her again.

_Sagitta Magica, Centum et Nonagita Novem, Spiritus Glaciales!_

The arrows where shot at close range upon Negi's back, but he spun quickly, quick as lightning, and slashed every one through with his blade, still, this let her bore in on his back, yet the boy was ready for this too, as lightning condenses along his body before it exploded outwards in the form of arrows, making her diverge from her tactic.

He disengaged from slashing arrows to rush her. She jumped up in the air to distance herself from him, her hands coming together quickly.

_Κενότητος __ἀ__στράπσατω δ__ὲ__ τεμέτω! Δίος τύκος!_

The axe of lightning blasted down to strike the earth, and yet, it missed. It's charges flashing everywhere, but ignored, as Negi appeared right next to Eva, his dark fist glowing bright as he punched her out of the air, a magic arrow following her down.

_Quick, calculating, a perfect beast._

She caught herself before landing, getting her feet under her before she jumped away from the very spot she had been, for Negi had slammed down there, kicking up dust. No rest came her way, for the boy exited the cloud almost instantly, rushing at her.

_If it were not for the fact I were opposing him, I might want to leash him for a pet._

Eva dodged equally quickly, finally reaching his side to punch him in the gut, hard. A kick to the back sent him forwards, and she took to the sky again, reaching for her magic. She reached out to him, sending a blast of ice that caked the whole area in ice, but the boy simply canceled his barrier, and shattered the bubble about him with a powerful jump kick upwards, blasting apart the peaceful landscape as he came right back at her.

_Impressive...but it's not enough, not to defeat me!_

Dodging, the chibi vampire called up her executioner's sword slashing it right into his unprotected back, basting him back down towards the ground, where she dived to follow, yet when he slammed into the ground, shattering ice and kicking up powder, he rolled and shot back up, catching Eva in mid-flight with a powerful blow and sending her into the ground.

She ducked under a slash from his magical blade and had to roll away from a rake he sent her way with claws. He had grown claws for god's sakes! He gave her no rest, pushing her back, and back, making her duck and weave until she took to the sky again.

He snarled, and with no visible teeth, the look was more unsettling than anticipated, especially when his mouth seemed to swallow all the light about it.

"Why do you run? Isn't this what you like? A little bit of FUN?!"

_To Sumbolaion Diakonētō Moi, hē Krustallinē Basileia! Epigenēthētō, Taiōnion Erebos, Haiōnie Krustalle! Pasais Zōais ton Ison Thanaton, hos Ataraxia! Kosmikē Katastrophē!_

The long winded spell was quick in her mind, blasting down upon the ground and covering all in ice, building pillars of it all around... Negi was nowhere to be seen...until he appeared in-between two pillars, rushing at her.

_A true beast! He takes no pause, keeps pressing the attack!_

He broke pillars as he jumped off them, using them as leverage, making Eva entered the frozen world with him, using the terrain to lunge at him, to retreat, to attack from the shadows, the boy called up to the sky, hands glowing.

He spoke no words, but his mind felt his intent clearly as the world tilted.

Το σθμβολαιον διακονετο μοι, βασιλισκ οθρανιονον. Επιγενεντηετο απολεια κεραθνε ηοσ τιμεισ πτειρει. Ηεκατονκατισ και κηιλιακισ αστραπσατο. Κηιλιαρκοθ Αστραπε!"

All about, the lightning struck down, shattering ice, melting it with its extreme power, just as his incredible strength shattered it when he used it as leverage. He set the entire area into an electrocution zone, forcing Eva to take to the air, where he jumped up to meet her, kicking out at her.

_Such a battle style sets me on fire, I pine to test him farther.._

She caught his foot, but he leaned in, raking her with his dark hands, making her release. He punched her right back down into her own death zone, but once more, she sent a spell soaring up at him, an ice coffin, which caught him full on.

She landed hard on the ground, and his coffin fell and shattered into fine dust, of which the boy, freed from his prison, only grunted once in disorientation before bearing down upon her again.

_The hell did this boy eat for breakfast this morning, diamonds...?_

She was forced to call it out again, looking for a good time. She released it point blank when he rushed her and came too close.

"To Sumbolaion Diakonētō Moi, hē Krustallinē Basileia! Epigenēthētō, Taiōnion Erebos, Haiōnie Krustalle! Pasais Zōais ton Ison Thanaton, hos Ataraxia! Kosmikē Katastrophē!"

She wasted no time scrambling away and raising her hands, speaking out the final harsh word of the spell, shattering the ice and breaking Negi along with it into a million pieces...or so it was supposed to be. The boy still stood, cold to the core, but his darkness had provided his warmth.

His eyes glowered as he slowly moved, cracking ice along the surface of his body as he went. Still half frozen...he set his body alight with fire, he consumed himself with fire to burn away the ice before he rushed in, blasting Eva back with a powerful blow.

_Veniant Spiritus Glaciales Obscurantes...Cum Obscuratione Flet Tempestas Nivalis! Nivis Tempestas Obscurans!_

Even while flying backwards, Eva opened her hands towards Negi, letting loose her spell right in his face. He shundoed out of the way however, and then came back right at her, but she also began employing the famous shundo to gain distance and bore in close for attacks.

Negi caught her after getting hit twice and sent her into one of her remaining broken pillars of ice with a throw, shattering it and making the bits pierce her skin. His mind roared at him.

**TAKE HER NOW, YOU SEE SHE IS WEAK, SHE IS YOURS TAKE HER****, CONSUME HER. **

_No...stop!_

The boy jumped up and ripped her with his claws, blasting her away with the blow. She landed hard on the ground, and she grimaced as she landed.

_Hah...the boy is more powerful than I thought. In accessing his Magica Erebia, he's almost as powerful as Nagi, I think, or have I just gotten lazy? No matter..._

She got up quickly, only to slip away when the boy's magical blade appeared where her eyes had been. He thrusted again, missing her middle. He thrusted again, but paused mid thrust to turn his thrust into a flat-blade slash, sending her backwards and off her feet with a blast of air.

_Play time's over, __**boya**__..._

He jumped on her downed form, raking her with claws until she blasted him away with magic, sending him soaring over fifteen meters into the air...it didn't faze him as he landed, but her hands were glowing darkly now.

One of them came up to wipe her mouth, spitting dirt. Her clothes had become ragged with his raking her eyes burned as she tossed disdainfully away the ground that stuck to her.

"You leave me no choice boya! Witness how it's really done, boy!"

Circling her, the darkness came, reaching up and quickly consuming her whole as the symbols wreaked havoc upon her skin, reaching up as high as her elbows. Inwardly, Negi cringed, but Magica Erebia bolstered him, prideful.

_She's going to kill me now!_

**Kill you? Hah! Her control of this technique is but marginal to yours! She is the creator, but **_**you**_** are the teacher! Teach her, consume her, eat her alive! Destroy her, wipe all traces of her form this earth, you are strong, she is weak, you will prevail, the enemy is ahead, all enemies must die, you must kill her, kill her NOW!**

_I cannot!_

**Then let me save you the trouble!**

Eva's speed was unimaginable, but so too was Negi's counter. She caught him by the throat and he caught her. they disengaged and they both lunged at each other, Negi slashed at her chest powerfully, drawing a cry from the dark form, but she raked his face, making him scream out.

_Gah..._

**Yes, yes, yes! Feel the pain, you see, she has betrayed you!**

_No! She only seeks to stop you!_

**Is it not one and the same?**

_"... ... ... ..."_

He lunged in, grabbing the arm and twisting it, she bit down had upon his neck, he let loose an animalistic howl before grabbing her head from his neck and wrenching it away slamming it into the ground, yet she broke free, kicking him in the head and dragging her claws along his back, oozing darkness escaped his wounds.

**Our blood is so interestingly dark, don't you see what you truely are? What you are meant to be? Stop fighting me, let us crush this being between her own overbloated, undeserving power!**

Flipping around, Negi threw her off and rushed her, grabbing her face and plunging his claws into her chest, right where the heart was, but she disengaged and kicked him in the middle and knocked him off of his feet to tear at him again.

The boy blasted her off with some powerful lightning magic. The two stood, darkness to darkness, both of them dripping with dark wounds open. Eva rushed in and the boy shot to the side, shouldered her in the chest, sending her skidding, he rushed in, his Executioner's sword coming to life as she slashed out.

_No! I will overcome you!_

She met his with hers, creating a shockwave the both ignored as once sought to overpower the other. Negi's symbols glowed as he strained against her power, so did hers. Two forces, struggling for supremacy.

**You see, she aims to behead you! Dismember you, but we shall do so to her, then you shall see!**

The symbols upon Negi's body grew brighter, and began to expand...Magica Erebia was diving deeper into him, taking more control, and Eva began to feel her strength against him wane. No! She could not let him win...she could not...let... the weakling overcome her!

Eva sent him flying backwards with a hard kick to his chest and he saw her symbols had exploded outwards, taking up her entire body, coating arms, legs, everywhere. Her mastery...her creation. Magica Erebia answered, her, the one who had a body stronger than that of a simple human.

Blasting him away with a sheet of ice, she set him shivering. No rest. She rushed in and plunged her clawed hands into his chest this time. No parry. She dug deeper, searching for the heart and finding none as he kicked her off. No mercy. Deep in Eva went and slammed her elbow into his neck, making him cough, gag even.

It was Eva now who rushed Negi now, pushing him further and further back, making him use all of his skill and speed to dodge. She was the creator of this technique, what made him think he could best her in it?!

Anger. It came now, strong, filling hatred that gave him strength, strength to reach out past her guard and kick Eva into a boulder, pulverizing it with her form.

_Stop this madness!_

**ME! IT SHOULD BE ME! I AM THE ONE, THE POWER...I will consume all! Nothing will stop me, not even YOU! You, who cannot see your own destiny, be gone!**

_Darnit..I'm losing what little control I have! Gaaah!_

Electricity coursed around him, pulsed, threatened to consume the boy in its strength. It melded with him until he could only be called lightning himself. He had merged with a force of nature, activated Taisou Two.

He flew at Eva in the air and struck her once, twice, even a hundred times, more as she, in her own form, strove to avoid him. At one point, he dodged her when she held out her hand to absorb his strength, striking her from behind and giving him an opening to pummel her.

**Only the strong survive, the weak will perish. You ruled in your time, now it is my time to rule!**

The first hit...will weaken you, slow you, increase the chance of getting hit again...and the second will increase the chance of a third, the third increased the chance for the forth...She may be the one whose body could handle the effects of it, but he was the master now. Taisou Two was only a supplement.

**I am the one.**

He sent her skidding away with a strike to her middle, flying even. He rushed in, arm reared back, but she managed to skitter away, still, before she went far, his hand slapped against her chest, pumping magical arrows into her, blasting her off course. He bore in her, his hand coming out to dig into her heart, like she had done to him.

**Shot through the heart, I am victorious!**

Two animals, they battled back and forth, gaining ground, losing it, scaring the earth with their power. Eva summoned an incredible sword of light, sending it forth, but Negi wreathed arrows into a beam of lightning shooting it through, shattering it.

He shot at her, raking her again. She elbowed his chin upwards, punching him in the gut with another fist, knocking air out of him, yet the boy grabber her throat with his free hand, squeezing.

_No! You will not! I will...defeat...you!_

**SHUT UP YOU FOOL! I KNOW THE TRUTH NOW, YOU ARE ALL WEAK! WEAK, UNWORHTY, YOU EVEN, NOT WORTHY OF THE POWER I HAVE GIVEN YOU, NOT WORTHY OF YOURSELF, YOUR OWN DESTINY! IF YOU WON'T TAKE IT, **_**I**_** WILL!**

_Gah!_

Finally, Negi fell silent as Eva reached outwards, sinking claws into his shoulder, ripping to tear his arm form its socket, and the beast he had become roared. He sent Eva flying away and tossed Negi's mind away to, the final piece to the puzzle consumed. The form roared symbols glowing bright before it rushed at Eva, faster than ever before, no longer held back by simple human emotions.

_Shit, he's lost all control!_

Its punch sent her into the ground, impacting underneath her, creating a crater. He kicked her up and blasted her skyward with a dozen arrows, jumping up after her to elbow her right back down into the earth, shockwaves racking the ground.

He landed on top of her, blasting air from her form, his hands grabbed her, tossed her skyward to blast her with more arrows before darkness shot from his palms, wrapping around her and yanking her to the ground, into his claws.

No mercy, no remorse. He slammed her into the ground, sinking his nails deeper into her before kicking her off disdainfully to land at least thirty meters away.

_Such speed, cunning...and power...all in one package!_

Her Magica Erebia fell from her, leaving her broken and bruised. She couldn't believe a wraith, an illusion, a degraded copy, could feel such abuse, such pain. Negi slowly approached, and she forced herself up, shakily...

"The...hell?! This can't...be happening!"

A powerful whack on the head almost compacted her body into the ground, shattering bone. Negi had just treated her head like a whack-a-mole game, and his fist had been the hammer. He grabbed her and tossed her up in the air, jumping after her to send her careening downwards with another punch.

_God... What have I created?! I don't call upon you often you know, so you better answer me! _

Of course, no answer came to the scarred vampiress, and she got up again, painfully. Negi was there again and sent her skidding with a foot to her gut. She only stopped when her head hit against a rock.

**"Stay down! Dying peacefully is your only saving grace, your final salvation."**

He was talking about salvation?! Yet, even as he approached her, his hands came up, clutching his head. Screaming, writhing in pain.

_Leave her! You've done enough damage! I'M TAKING CONTROL NOW! You've ignored me for far too long! That was your mistake! I am not weak, I am stronger than you, and I will defeat you!_

**NO! WEAK FOOL, KILL HER NOW, WHILE SHE IS DOWN, WHILE SHE IS HELPLESS, SLAUGHTER THE WEAK, KILL THE ENEMY, NEVER FORGET, NEVER FORGIVE, THE ENEMY!**

_The very purpose of a Magister Magi is to protect those less able than you, to heal, help, unite. Killing all enemies will not do that. I will not let you continue your rampage. I am in control I am strong, you are weak, and I will seal you, I will control you, I will succeed you!_

**NAY! YOU ARE WEAK! WEAK, WEAK,WEAK! MY TIME TO SHINE, MINE!**

_A child begging for attention, your logic is flawed. I will defeat my enemies, with honor and dignity, I will spare them their final breaths, let them live in peace unless such a fate is impossible! I will follow my father's noble deeds, I will protect, I will serve. You are over stepping your boundaries!_

He almost had control, almost. Yet it slipped and the other attacked him, breaking his hold further. The darkness ripped at his mentality, shattering the careful web he had lain out and shoving him aside once more.

_No again, Gahh! THIS IS MY BODY, I MAKE THE DECISIONS HERE! Uwahh!_

**Weakling! ...hmm?**

"Kosmikē Katastrophē!"

**"...Oh."**

Negi was once more encased in ice, yet the spell lasted only a few precious seconds before it shattered, not from Eva's bidding, but from the boy's, whose body was afire with a dark aura. The ice shattering all around, throwing deadly missiles up in the air. Negi grabbed a shard and slashed with it, catching Eva and flinging her away.

_Damn! Not even that will work! To Sumbolaion Diakon__ē__t__ō__ Moi,h__ē__ Krustallin__ē__ Basileia! Epigen__ē__th__ē__t__ō__... _

His quick reactions made him able to rush in after her, stabbing out with that same shard of ice and catching her dead center, making her fly even further to shatter a lone pillar of ice. Now, Negi rose his head to the heavens, calling out.

_Tai__ō__nion Erebos, Hai__ō__nie Krustalle! Pasais Z__ō__ais ton Ison Thanaton, hos Ataraxia! Kosmik__ē__ Katastroph__ē__! Sagita Magica, Centum et Nonagita Novem, Spiritus Glaciales! _

**"****Κενότητος**** ἀ****στράπσατω δ****ὲ ****τεμέτω****! ****Δίος****τύκος****!"**

_Veniant Spiritus Glaciales! Extentantur Aeri! Tundram et Glaciem, Loci Noctis Albae! Crystallizatio Tellustris!_

Rushing in, axe glowing, he swung and caught her skull making her crumple. Yet still, she managed to think some last things, and speak out one last spell, hands outstretched towards him.

_Locos Umbrae Regnans Scáthach! In Manum Meum Dedo Iaculum Daemonium Cum Spinis Triginta! Iaculatio Frigerans!_

"Sagitta Magica, Centum et Nonagita Novem, Spiritus Glaciales!"

Four spells, and incredible amount of ice bearing down, freezing the earth, arching at him, encasing him in a tomb, it was all around, exploding, multiplying, until the two of them were literally in a castle of it, a tomb of ice that encased them both, Negi especially, who was once again frozen solid...and yet, the ice cracked, and an aghast Eva watched as once again, the boy broke free, a hand reaching out to close upon her throat once more.

_God, how much more of this can I take? What happens if I fail? Will I come then, and will he kill me for real this time?! _

_**Το**__**σθμβολαιον**__**διακονετο**__**μοι**__**, **__**βασιλισκ**__**οθρανιονον**__**. **__**Επιγενεντηετο**__**, **__**απολεια**__**κεραθνε**__**ηοσ**__**τιμεισ**__**πτειρει**__**. **__**Ηεκατονκατισ**__**και**__**κηιλιακισ**__**αστραπσατο**__**. **__**Κηιλιαρκοθ**__**Αστραπε**__**!**_

**"****Το****σθμβολαιον****διακονετο****μοι****, ****βασιλισκ****οθρανιονον****. ****Επιγενεντηετο****, ****απολεια****κεραθνε****ηοσ****τιμεισ****πτειρει****. ****Ηεκατονκατισ****και****κηιλιακισ****αστραπσατο****. ****Κηιλιαρκοθ****Αστραπε****!"**

All around, even as the boy himself was still aglow with lightning, his Taisou downgraded to one, the lightning broke their cage, and Eva kicked him hard in the chest, making him disengage. She wasn't done yet, not by a long shot, she took to the sky upon an exhausted wind.

_My time isn't over just yet boy!_

Rearing upwards, higher, higher the air grew colder, the wind ripped through her, playing upon her very skin, ragged, bruised, scratched and torn, she recited again, more ice, more power, her magic coming obediently, yet, even she could feel there wasn't much left.

There was enough however, for a few final big blasts.

To Sumbolaion Diakonētō Moi, hē Krustallinē Basileia! Epigenēthētō, Taiōnion Erebos, Haiōnie Krustalle! Pasais Zōais ton Ison Thanaton, hos Ataraxia! Kosmikē Katastrophē,

"Veniant Spiritus Glaciales! Extentantur Aeri! Tundram et Glaciem, Loci Noctis Albae! Crystallizatio Tellustris, Sagitta Magica Centum et Centum, et Centum et Centum!"

She rushed back down, a frozen spear form the heavens, to strike righteous justice upon Negi, but the boy, the beast, just laughed, laughed and held out his hands. He had been waiting for this, and Eva had fallen into it, forgetting her own techniques.

The power barreled forth, and she couldn't stop him from ever so simply extending his hands and absorbing it all, all of it as it came his way, silent laughter apparent in socket like eyes. He was mocking her as it came all upon him, bolstering him, boosting him.

He shot at her, and planted his open hand upon her middle, letting it all rip through her, her own power, taken and turned against her, plus his own in the form of the titan slayer, created right in her body to explode outward, skewering her and planting itself firmly on the ground, brilliantly glowing.

Still, she was alive. Petrified with the power of the electricity maybe, but still powerful enough for a blast...she only had to gather her power together as the boy approached...and blast him to kingdom come!

He came slowly, agonizingly slowly as he jumped up to grab the hilt of his blade. Up, up, up...Eva freed herself as he canceled the blade, kicking out to catch the beast in its middle, knocking it back.

She rushed at him no, desperate. A flurry of movement she became, moving as quickly as her current form allowed, pushing all of her speed into punching and kicking every available area she could reach of Negi, and the other boy just as quickly blocking her blows, with his hands, eyes calculating a proper opening, and when it came, he sent his foot forward to pound upon her chest.

He stood there, waiting. Calm now, still as she came back at him, he sent her away again with a punch to the nose. He was the still pillar now that she was recklessly tossing herself at. She stood up after the blow to the nose.

He rushed forward so quickly, she barely had time to throw up her arms, and with a sharp uppercut, sent her sprawling away. Eva landed on her bottom this time, but spun up, reaching out with a tendril of magic, a string to wrap around his wrist and pull him forwards. He snapped it where he stood, prompting her to call many up at once and try to lock in him in place, yet he pumped more energy into his Taisou, obliterating them. Still, she caught hold and pulled him towards her, sending him skyward with a one two punch, magic arrow and fist, warily taking to the sky to follow.

Negi landed on his feet and shundoed into the air, appearing in her face to punch her with an incredible might, straight up into an unforgiving sky. The air was ripped from her lungs upon the ascent, and was blasted back into it with such force she thought they may burst on her way back.

No energy to stop her decent, she slammed home onto the ground next to Negi, who was just standing there, his dark tendrils scouring around him. He still had energy, not much, but it was enough to keep Magica Erebia activated, enough for the darkness to coat his body.

Eva was still as he approached again. Still as death, and as pale as it too as he grabbed her limp form and hoisted her up, claws digging into a body that barely responded with a groan.

**Weak. Weaklings die. You will die now. Thank you for **_**entertaining**_** me.**

She moved, a pointless jerk in the air, yet it prompted the boy to drop her again, clamping his mouth shut to prevent an unearthly howl from exiting his mouth hands came up to cover his eyes.

**The light, it burns! Where does it come from?! Why are you doing this?!?**

_You mean to tell me you've never felt it? This is me, this is my power, coming to bear on you. I own this body, me, and you will not interfere with me. I am the master, you are just a shadow in the night, one that forgot to scamper away from the sun! There will only be one thing consumed today, and that thing is YOU!_

**GAH! No...I am in control, I am the one, I am the strong! Wah, no! Who are you?! Weakling! Darkness, your pain, your desire, it is too strong for you, I shall consume you! Conquest shall be mine!**

_Nay! You are nothing but a draft, and I'm shutting the window, NOW!_

Another pierce of pain racked the beast and he stabbed out, forming the Executioner's sword, which he used to slice right through the body of the wraith Eva, dissipating it into the magic it was made up of, and yet, at the same time...

Those shadowy holes to be eyes of the beast calmed, cleared, until one could see them once more as eyes instead of holes. He flexed a hand, fingers obeyed him. He rose his head, and it obeyed him.

The darkness was still there, the hate was still there, the pain was still there, but no longer was it shaped into a beast with a mind of its own, one that sought to consume and control him, no, now it only did what it was supposed to, make him look ahead.

Negi looked down at the sword in his hands and canceled it, exhausted as Magica Erebia fell from him. He dropped to his knees. He was glad, suddenly, that he had not been really fighting Eva. If she was anything to go by, he could have killed her had she really stood in front of him, and that would have been...

Incredible and horrifying at the same time. Negi's face hit the hard packed earth, the area's soft dust long blown away from their battle, craters and broken ice, shattered rock and scarred land was all that he saw before he blacked out, peaceful, consuming sleep.

Sleep would be the only enemy Negi would ever let swallow him whole in the end.

+---+

There we go. Boring maybe, or maybe not, but it is done. Word count: 6035, ehh. You decide.


	9. Redirect: The rules

**_+---+A Notice of A Change Of Purpose.+---+_**

_From the finally constructed studio, Alomegauge Productions Incorporated_

Mesh. Oh, don't fear, I have not really changed this story, I just needed your attention, as I am adding purposes to this story now, and more solidly structuring the rules I laid out before.

The purpose of this Fanfiction is now a three way shot. It is for as follows:

• Challenging the Author, as you have already been doing.

• A Question and Answer session with character's specifically from MFT productions, I.E: O.C's or Altered Cannons. (New, explained in Section two.)

• A skit production area. (New, explained in Section three.)

**_•Section One: Challenge MFT_**

- Inspired by fate and lack of inspiration, this purpose of Challenge MFT is for you, the readers, to challenge me to write a story for you, as specified below.

••• Typically, unless otherwise specified, the challenge you issue shall be in the form of a one-shot, encapsulated in a chapter of this story. There may be more than one challenge in one chapter, depending upon the length of your challenge, so be aware and patient.

••• The challenge you issue should be, roughly, in this format: Content, Length, Time Limit. In other words, you must include these items in some way in your challenge, otherwise, you leave it up to my interpretation. An example may be something like this:

_**"Write a battle scene between Mana and Ku Fei, at least one thousand words and with a one hour time limit."**_

I can take this challenge any time, but once I take it, I cannot spend more than an hour on it, and I must try to make it fit in one thousand words. I have to center around Mana and Ku Fei having a battle. You can see examples of this by looking at previous chapters here, neh?

Please be reasonable in your challenges. I will not take a challenge that is utterly ridiculous, such as:

_**"Write a NegiNodo one shot, ten thousand words in one minute."**_

Need I say more about how ridiculous that challenge sounds?

••• I reserve the right to chose any challenge I please to do, simply because it would be impossible to do them all at once my friends.

••• I can do multi-shots, but I would prefer not having to do more than quad shots here. I may not even except that many unless you really tell well what you want.

••• Crossovers and my Original O.C's are allowed here to. However, please note that I may have to study the other party I am crossing over with Negima if I am not familiar with it, and it may take longer than usual.

••• Yes, one person can submit more than one challenge, but please try to only submit one at a time. You may give me an array of challenges to chose from, and I may or may not chose more than one of them at once, but don't ask me to do more than one.

**_•Section Two: Q & A_**

••• Now, this is a new one for me, but by far, not a new concept. However, this is a limited Question and Answer bout. You may **only** ask questions of the following people, please keep in mind I say this for a reason, and as the storyline progresses, I may made amendments to the list, but do not query me on why certain characters are not here, either I forgot them or amount I have altered their lives is too small a change:

**Negi Sprginfield **(Altered Cannon, otherwise known as Dark or Young Negi.)  
**Anya Cocolova** (Altered Cannon, yet still only known as Anya to us all.)  
**Arika Springfield **(Altered Cannon due to interpretation of Royal Magic.)  
**Alma Yoshi** (Original Character, Illusionist Extrodinaire and Dark Magic specialist.)  
**Jasnin Akiato** (Original Character, Guilt stricken Snow-walker and Bronze Lieutenant.)  
**Issac Akiato** (Original Character, Negotiation Expert and Weapons Master.)  
**Cora** (Original Character, Acting as Altered Cannon, Sakurako Shiina, Resident Succubi.)  
**Gunther Penhorace **(Original Character, Vampire and nothing else! The one who turned Eva!)  
**Kago Masato **(Original Character, Vicused Battle Priest, at your service.)  
**???**  
**???**  
**???  
???**  
**Asuna Kagurazaka** (Considered Altered Cannon due to Storyline progression.)  
**Evageline A.K. McDowell** (Considered Altered Cannon due to Storyline progression.)  
**Setsuna Sakurazaki** (Considered Altered Cannon due to Storyline progression.)  
**Konoka Konoe** (Considered Altered Cannon due to Storyline progression.)  
**Nodoka Miyazaki** (Considered Altered Cannon due to Storyline progression.)  
**Yue Ayase** (Considered Altered Cannon due to Storyline progression.)  
**Chisame Hasegawa** (Considered Altered Cannon due to Storyline progression.)  
**Satomi Hakase** (Considered Altered Cannon due to Storyline progression.)  
**Haruna Satome** (Considered Altered Cannon due to Storyline progression.)  
**Sayo Aisaka** (Considered Altered Cannon due to Storyline progression.)  
**Midnight Finalage Throw** (HUH?! The heck are you doing here?! *Explained later on.*)

••• The character "Midnight Finalage Throw" shall be used to direct general questions about the progression of stories or for information on an original or altered character's profile. Keep in mind that such information is constantly changing too. Ask me technical questions on how a spell may work, or to what extent a character's power extends. (You can also ask me how far I am from completing a chapter on a story and such...obviously, don't ask me how long until I finish a chapter of this one, for the time I answer your question...it's obsolete, isn't it?)

••• You may ask any question you wish of any character, unless otherwise specified,(Please see "Midnight Finalage Throw" above.) however, be aware that the answer is up to the character. Will they answer you honesty? Will they direct a question back at you? Don't just expect an answer, keep in mind they've got feelings too...

••• You may use your question in the form or a dare, yes, but I don't want this to turn into a "Truth or Dare." area. That purpose is already fulfilled by Vastler75. Keep your "Dares" in the form of questions, and keep in mind the character may or may not take you up on your, "challenge." I'm not "tossing any one to the fan pit." if they don't answer you...

**_•Section Three: Skit Production Area._**

••• This may entertain you. This area is completely controlled by myself, and it is where I will toss skits here. I take no commands here; this is for you to watch. Consider them the "bloopers" of the productions studio during the Q&A Section. Here is where all hell breaks loose, neh?

_...And there you have it; the studio is open for business. Send your questions. Meanwhile, enjoy the opening remarks, Neh? We all know how the first day is the day everything goes wrong, so, in an Effort to prevent that, the first day of Q&A Will not be broadcast publicly...(Yeah, Right...)_

_**+--E--+**_

"Would you put those wires somewhere out of the way so no one trips on them? That must be the third time this morning! Oh and there goes the fourth!"

Wincing as Anya takes a bad tumble after her foot is caught by the lump of wire, I watched as she smacks to the ground, unable to help her as I'm stuck trying to find out why this camera isn't working, and tangled in wires.

Negi goes to pick the girl up, hushing her mild cries. Eyes cast to the ceiling, I return to my work. Why won't this damn thing-gah! Now it tries to _blind_ me with its flash, like a flipping flood light! At least it's working now...oi.

Untangling myself from wires, I myself end up tripping over the things, only I catch myself by grabbing the camera stand. Shaking my head, I kick them away..._well_, _**someone**_ has to move them, might as well be me.

When I finally get all the wires out of the way and fix the rugs and couches, stools and whatever else needs adjusting, I grab a broom and duck under a flying body. Spinning around, broom in hand, I find it's only Asuna, blade in hand and I flatten myself against the wall as she rushes past, going for Setsuna.

This is no place for a mundane, (All a bit in an in-the-know mundane.) to be, that was for sure. Getting out of there way, I have to spin around again, for a thin rapier almost slashed me in the shoulder. I managed to get my broom out in both my hands to bar it from my face.

"Ohh...shoot! Sorry!"

Luck it's metal, the broom I mean. Jasnin widens her eyes as her brother slashes at her side, barely missing. She had been aiming for Issac, and had almost split me like a pea. This really wasn't a safe place. Since when did this new studio become a sparring grounds?! Just because it was big?

"I'm _trying_ to _sweep_ here if nobody minds!"

A not-so-random explosion beings my attention to bear on Anya, who had been trying to practice cage and instead of creating the fiery bars, almost burned her dress to char, for the spell needed connection, and she had obviously not put enough effort, making the thing explode outwards like a cluster bomb.

Good lord, help me. The rug I had just set was now utterly ruined. It struck me. Do I have enough _insurance_ for this place?! I'm not a rich guy, hey, I'm as poor as dirt. The only reason I got this place was because a benefactor thought it would be funny if he let me create and run a production studio. So now I solely run and own Alomegauge Productions, as long as the money made goes to my sponsor and benefactor. Oh well, I'm not interested in money anywho.

Shaking my head, I mutter;

"They say the more money you come across..."

Konoka runs by chasing an embarrassed Yue. Chisame looks up, pissed from the noise, her laptop screen going haywire due to Sayo's fiddling. The tech-oriented girl looks down and her eyes widen t the spectacle currently being shown on her screen...she slammed closed the device, going beet red.

"The more problems you receive. I'm glad I've got virtually no money, for I've got enough problems _**as is**_."

Another blast is heard, as, for some reason, Alma seems to have awakened Eva's wrath, and whole building seems to suddenly have dropped fifteen degrees...Celsius. I can only slap my hand to cover my eyes.

What, what I ask, have I gotten myself into?!


	10. Short and sweet

I do not own Negima!

+---+

**_+---+Alomegauge Productions Presents: Challenge MFT+---+_**

Quiet on the set please, quiet on the set!

People, people, settle down, will yah? No Alma, do not sit on the floor please, there is space on the couch, and I'm pretty sure Negi doesn't want to lie down on it. Eva, please sit down...please? Come on. Do I have to pull out my pen? I don't want to have to start throwing about an author's hidden power, do I? What? Look this way? Is it time already? Oh great...fine.

Camera time in three, two, one, rolling!

"Hello, and welcome to Alomegauge's prime production, Challenge MFT. I am your host Midnight Finalage Throw, or just Finalage. This is our debut issue, so go easy on me, there isn't a script. Now, if you'll look behind me, you'll see several character's you have come to know and perhaps even love arrayed on the couch. You send in the questions, and I am the one who has the painful duty of asking them."

Walking back to my own seat, and grabbing an Envelope, I look at the address before slitting it open with a letter opener. The sender is labeled: "Galerians". I scan the letter quickly and send all the character's not involved off the stage, and out to break... It reads as follows:

_**"Fine, it seems ultimately interesting. Why don't I welcome myself in and throw a few questions as a start?**_

_**1. Negi, your first taste is a man, kinda sad, isn't it? Now, if you were able to choose freely, who would have been your first victim?**_

_**2. Eva, you've never tried to hide your love for Nagi, have you? Then what will you do when you and Negi find him, since you've already got your full power?**_

_**3. Alma, if you were able to do anything you ever want, what would it be?**_

_**4. Jasnin, a love for one's brother is usually deemed forbidden, yet intense and hot altogether. Tell me, have you ever tried to take advantage when your brother is sleeping? I mean, c'mon, a quick peck or a little hug can't hurt anyone, can it?**_

_**5. MTF, you're an author but that isn't a reason so I can't ask you. Well, let's say you've finally got a chance to stroll in the Mahora, and since it is a very crazy dimension, we should make you as a ludicrously powerful combat mage first. Now, based on your imagination, what kind of chaos will you bring to Mahora?"**_

"Well, the rules do technically exempt me from such a question, but I find it's a reasonable one, so I'll answer...what would I do? Well, honestly, I'd go after the big cheese for a fight, that would be first off, but Negi has a long list of challengers, and Eva would most likely just blow me off, so I'd go to the Robotics' Club, build an army of giant ones and magically enhance them like Chachamaru has been and let them wreak havoc on the campus until someone pays attention to me...or, I could just invite everyone to dinner, but I doubt I'd have the money for that, so...crazy Magical-Gundam style havoc I suppose...

I would also start a riddle and quizzes club so I can twist people's minds into pretzels similar to my own, but that's a whole nother' level, and a different story. "

Turning to Negi, I point a finger at him. Vampire boy's up next. Sighing, he fixes the camera with a blank and disturbingly dead look.

"Who would I chose? Does another...oh wait, I can't say that, can I? It's in the chapter not up yet. Shit...What the hell should I say? If Eva had blood, it might have been fun sinking my teeth into her...yes, you."

He fixes Eva with a look that Eva lifts an eyebrow at. She responds to him, sarcasm dipping from every word.

"I'm honored boya, _truly_."

The boy just smirks at her before continuing.

"That's off limits however, so I'd have to say I'd be interested in seeing how Alma would react. She keeps claiming to be submissive, but if I latch onto her, will she fight back, I wonder? She did seem to fight off that fake vampire for quite a while before I "rescued" her."

Negi cocks a thumb at Eva, indicating she should go next. His smirk fell from his face and was replaced by a thin line. Sitting back in his seat, he looks off to the side as if something there interests him. Eva brushes her hair behind her shoulders irritably.

"What would I do?! I'd beat the living daylights outta him until he was within an inch of his life...and then I'd take him somewhere private. I think you know what I may or may not do to him there, but I'm not at liberty to blab that to a million Nagi fan-girls out there, but I will tell you it does not require him being fully "suited"."

One of Negi's eyes twitched.

"You did not give me a good visual there, Madam Mosquito."

"Well, who told you to listen, hmm?"

"Touché..."

I point to Alma, shaking my head. Enough of the squabble between them.

"I would serve my master of course."

"...and if you had no master?"

"I would die, is that not the customary approach...?"

"No, not in the current day and age. Think."

"...I would...open a flower shop."

...You would be a...florist...interesting...and normal, how odd. Jasnin, you're up last on this one. So spill. Ever try to take advantage of the boy? He's not in the building right now you know.

Jasnin pulled her coat closer to her, pulling her arms out of her sleeves to scrunch up, and fixed her eyes on the floor.

"...I can't say I didn't think about it...but it _**can**_ hurt him if I do... I inherited just about all of my old race's genes. That power, I barely know how to control it, but because I don't need to use words for it, it is controlled solely by my thoughts, my emotions, amplifying them, driving me to the brink of control...I was always so afraid, if I gave in to temptation, that's the first step to loss of control...I will admit that, on one mission, is was cold out at night, and I have woken up in the middle of the night to find I had rolled right up to him, my face wasn't even an inch from his..."

"There were other times when he had to huddle for warmth...it took a long time for me to sleep if I was paired off with my brother. When he asked me, I told him he stunk...wasn't true, but it did the trick..."

Nodding, I reach for another letter, only to discover...there isn't one! Okay then! That's it for the first episode? Nah, that can't be...

+---+

**_Floating Speakers: The Twilight Craze._**

"God...I hate this Twilight craze."

"Have you read the book?"

"No."

"Then how can you judge it if You haven't read it?"

"They say it reads like a bad fan fiction."

"They SAY, but you can't be sure until you read it yourself."

"Have you read it?"

"No."

"So who are you to-"

"I'm not supporting it or damning it, I'm just telling you that you should judge something for yourself instead of jumping on the bandwagon like that."

"So you ignore the huge faction of perfectly intelligent and literate people who look upon the childish and fangirl/boyish comments of the twilight fans, which are full of "txt", "1887" speak and improper grammar and diss the book?"

"I do not ignore, I only observe. There are, I am sure, literate people who enjoy the book."

+---+

Debut productions: Alomegauge Inc. Please, send your quesitons so this show can be more of a lengthly one! Hi-ho! My sponsor tells me he is selling nothing, so I have nothing to advertise for!


	11. Free Samples!

I do not own Negima!

+--1--+

**_Free Samples_**

_"Hmmm...kinda quiet today. Hello. I am your host, Midnight Finalage Throw. No one has reviewed, so I'm going to throw some things out here for you...would you please push back that camera please? I'm not easy on the eyes, especially up close...thank you."_

_I added Gunther Penhorace to the list, the vampires dude. I also took the liberty of adding Kago Masato to the list. You may have also noticed that there are now four rows of "???" listed. This is obvious; it means that I do plan on adding more characters to the list soon. I told you to keep checking back on that chapter..._

_Anywho, sit back and enjoy a bit of...whatever this is, studio time..._

"This thing weighs a ton. What do you put in here, bricks?!?"

I ignore Jasnin, who kicks my book bag unto it's back before wincing, the thing was supposed to go flying, not just flop. The hell _was_ in there? Bricks wouldn't cut it, there must some kind of dead body in that thing...certainly was big enough...

_"Books. Books, papers, a graphing calculator, multi-meter and a bunch of pens, most likely having already exploded."_

"You and your pen-bombs."

_"Not my fault if they explode all the time." _

She leaves the thing where it lies, coming over to the computer I'm sitting at.

"Just what are you doing now?"

_"Trying, __**trying**__ to finish this chapter of Alomegauge, if you don't mind."_

"What's so hard, it already happened, you're only telling the story..."

_"That's the point. I have to find the right words, and some of the details are a bit hazy..."_

"You mean you want to forget it because Eva somehow wound up drunk yesterday and..."

_"__**Enough!**__ Do NOT remind me of what that vampire did with Anya...I don't want to remember...aww dammnit, now, thanks to you, it's stuck in my head...my eyes, my poor eyes!"_

Shaking her head, she mumbles some half hearted apology...like that's going to make me feel any better as she walks away. Aggghhh...my eyes. I can hardly see to type! I know it's not proper posture, but I can't help but slump in my chair a little to stare at the ceiling.

That's another thing. I'm dead tired. Dead tired. I normally walk about two miles to the bus and then ride it for about two miles to get to school, but today, I was almost to the bus stop when for some reason, I just lost all my steam. I knew it was happening to, I just felt myself slowing down, thinking; "Oh darn, I'm outta gas. Why the hell am I tired now?!"

Oh well, I'm here, that's the good part...neh? What was I going to say...?

Oh, right...

+--1--+

_There will soon be a new poll pertaining to my OC's. Neh? It'll come out with the new Chapter of Young Negi...so be prepared. If you still want to get in your vote on your opinion of me, do so now. For even as I type this, I feel the energy come on for the final haul on this chapter..._

A message from a character in Young Negi to MFT:

"Punch, kick, punch, kick, punch kick, uppercut, right hook, left hook, spin kick, jump to the side, other side, jump up, drop kick, rush in, short stop, slam fist into guts, sweep their feet from under them, drop down. Come upon their back and raise hell, blast them away, send them soaring into the sky, boot to the gut, a charged punch, swing around, slam your elbow into their sides...rain arrows on their heads, send spells ripping at them..."

"...Have you ever noticed how limited Finalage's vocabulary is when it comes to fights? Or do you think the dude knows what he's doing? I'll tell you, I get bored listening to those words....can't he think of other ones? I mean come on, when's the last time he used words other than those?"

"...Well, at least I know he'll see this and improve. I know the idiot knows more words than that. At least let someone heat butt another one once and awhile! Or tackle them, god. Flying tackles are good battle moves, yah know? How about boxing them upside the damn head?"

"Do better you baka...and while I'm on the subject...do we always have to sit through Negi fighting like hell all the time spaced out with detailed still shots of some damn mid bosses approach and some unimportant character's thoughts as a filler? Damn, put some action into it that doesn't require fighting! I know you've been saving it all, but enough already...."

"...YOU CAN'T SAVE EVERYTHING FOR THE DAMN SEQUEL!"

+--1--+

_**Floating Speakers: The Yuri/Yaoi Craze.**_

"I hate it, I hate it, I HATE it!"

"Okay...what is it this time that you hate?'

"Yaoi."

"...and yet...you droll over its opposite?"

"...Yeah but..."

"But nothing. You can't say anything unless you are completely against both."

"They have no skill in writing it though.'

"You watch it however."

"I don't read it."

"Okay then, so what's wrong with reading it?"

"No skill, it's just a...just there for...the instant. People write it 'cause their horny."

"Not all."

"Enough. Enough of them do...and there are enough people out there listening to "Bedrock" or "Hotel Room Service" to give them a million reviews and encouragement..."

"This angers you?"

"...No..."

"Because you're one of them."

"...Yeah."

"So you shouldn't bash other's."

+--1--+

_Now, for a few sample questions, just for a taste of how character's react, if you have not already gotten the idea for the last chapter..._

_**Sample Person A:**_

_**Okay! I've got a few questions!**_

_**Eva, how old are you?! **_

_**Negi, how come you can do everythign so easily, but have trouble flying?!**_

_**Cora, how do you feel being someone else all the time?**_

_I see a typo, but I'm no one to talk, so forget it. It's kinda rude though, asking Eva-_

'The hell kind of question is that?! Do you have any brains at all?!

Eva stand up from her chair, and I wave the letter about urgently.

_"It's just a sample, just a sample! You'll get the answer to that question in chapter forty one, you only have to do the math. Leave her alone..."_

Eva sits down with a huff. I point to Negi, glad she finally came to sense. Yet her eyes tell plainly she planned on killing whomever came up with the sample questions...lucky it's not me! He blows out of his mouth and rolls his eyes.

"...You can't be good at everything...."

_"That's it? Okay then."_

Cora?

"Succubi don't have much of their own..."identity"...They are made for emulating other things...so it doesn't feel like I'm..."someone else."

_"Okay then...well, that's a sample...and my tank is done. So, send your questions people!"_

+--1--+

Well, there we go, review and tell me what you want, neh?


	12. Banes of life!

Well of course. I expected it to be quiet...in a ways. Anywho. Let's go. This writer is dying for progress.

+--A--+

**_Alomegauge Productions Presents: Challenge MFT_**

**_Banes of life..._**

_"Oiiiii! Chisame, you get back here with my darn mouse! I need that thing!"_

Chasing her about, I realize a camera is following me, and I can only shake my head at the operator. How nice. Try to embarrass me, ehh? Get that thing away from me, I'll be there just in a few darn seconds...

_"CHISAME!"_

....A bit later...

_"Welcome to Alomegauge Productions, I am your host, Finalage is my name, and Challenges are my game...Chisame, I thank you if you would not touch my mouse again...my mouse, not yours...okay..."_

I raise my eyebrows as someone cues "Careless Whisper" as intro music...the heck? One of the staff seems to go beet red. Oops...oh no, I have no idea how that got there. Narrowing my eyes at them, I cue "Budget Meeting" - Hans Zimmer, as a cover up.

_"Okay. So we have a lot of work to do, don't we...? Let's look at our first letter shall we?...Oh...thank you for finally getting the right track...I much prefer Sons of War...although a bit over the top much..?" _

Reaching out to slit the letter open, I realize it's another from Galerians. Well, let's see what we've got, hmm?

_**"Y'know, don't give up just yet. Toughen up, having few reviews might mean that you're good enough so no critics are need to be done. Heck, if you need one, at the very least, you can always count on me.**_

_**Hnh, now I've got a little challenge. Even if it's quite long overdue, but I just watched the Twilight on my TV and it finished just a while ago. Now, for the challenge, since Negi is now also a vampire, how about we make Edward and this bitter boy to go against each other? You can make it in the same background as you like, and there is no time limit.**_

_**If you're not familiar with Twilight, however, you can just answer these questions I've prepared, based on the last chapter of Young Negi...**_

_**1. Issac, from what I read, Finalage said that you and Jasnin had hugged in MANY occasion (in the case that heat is only provided if you two do that). She is extremely beautiful, isn't she? Have you ever, EVER, felt at least a twinge of other feeling than a brotherly affection?**_

_**2. Kago, you are, as Finalage have elaborated, a jack of all trades. Versatile, but master to none. So tell me, have you ever gotten a problem regarding this weakness?**_

_**3. Hey, Negi! My bittersweet, wacky teacher! How're you doing?! Okay, enough with the pleasantries. You've always thought that you're better off dead, and since you're a catalyst, that seems inevitable, anyway. So, could you tell me, how do you plan of conversing that truth to, of all people, Anya?**_

_**There you go!"**_

_"I rarely give up, and as I have grown older, I've only become more stubborn in that area. However, I am one of those who have never read Twilight...Wikipedia gives me a token amount of experience here, but lets see...I knew it, there had to be a Twilight Wiki...no problems with the sun, hmm? No need to breathe? Able to stop a car...heh, Negi could do that as a human, with his magic of course...typical attractiveness to food...Negi...Negi will KILL this dude. Forget about mind reading, Negi is one himself, and can shield himself too...I have a feeling you hated Twilight...only reason you would subject the poor guy to such punishment...Magica Erebia plus vamprism...but..do you want to fight Negi?"_

"You're kidding me right? Do I _**want**_ to beat the crap out of someone? Holy hell, you shouldn't _need_ to ask that question, damn."

_"Fine, but first, the questions...uhh...the questions...I said get back here you chibi vampire teacher mage...thingie! Issac!"_

Having already seen his sister sent away, the boy looked at me. At me of all people. Look at the camera damn it! You don't need my permission to answer a question! After a second or two, he realizes what my signals mean and looks at the camera.

"...We have needed to keep contact for warmth, yes...but feel for her in any other way besides a brother? I was once her servant, and felt her… my master...but I know that isn't what you mean, as you mentioned her beauty...I...well... I've always looked at her as something to protect, something to serve. It has only come recently that I have begun to look at her as simply another individual, my sister, on the same plain as I...however, one must love their masters, adore them. Coming from a place lower than her, I would have to say yes...you...want to be noticed, want to be praised, and that does come into a kind of one way love, a one way worship..."

Sighing, he looks away at Negi, who raises an eyes. The hell you looking at me for, was the face he had on to give Issac, and the boy sighed again.

"Now however? Or during our travels? She is a beautiful girl yes, and I count the man lucky if he can snare her...of course, he'll have to pass my inspection if he wants to get near her in any way...but right now, I'm trying to get used to seeing her as an equal...I'm still unpacking my feelings at the moment...so I can't really, honestly, answer your question to the best of my ability. I hope what I gave you can help though..."

_"...Well...that was a very thorough answer...but you still didn't really answer the whole question Issac...I'm gonna hold you to that...Kago our friend, you're next!"_

The priest smiles a bit nervously. Camera's really aren't his thing...he's no T.V priest...but still, he's here, and he's in a safe...well, as safe as he could be at the moment...environment, so...he looked at me. Why the heck is everybody looking at me? Do I have egg on my face?! The camera is over there!

"Of course. The most recent being facing down Evangeline. You might have an idea, or perhaps you do not, of how terrifying it is to know you have just enough power to entertain one of her caliber, but who, in the face of her might, can do absolutely nothing..."

Looking to the floor now, he looks up in time to almost have the microphone poke out one of his eyes. Yo, deacons, don't pull in so darn much, give the holy man a break!

"...My power is progressed, a bit more than others, yes, but its usefulness is limited. I once had to exorcise a demon from a little boy...his presence was poisoning him...I tried, and I tried...but I simply did not have enough mastery in my art to free the boy. The demon finally got annoyed and left on his own, to attack me and try to take over me..."

"I defeated it, but the point was that I failed to purify the boy, and could not save him...he died. Perhaps it was fate, or God's will, but I still feel as if my inability was the cause. I couldn't help but feel I had failed a trial...there are other times when I failed to give a vampire proper piece in its burial and it came back alive, or something similar, always I fixed the problem but...it's better to do things right the first time..."

_"Okay...good answer Kago...although you don't need to look so down, we all make mistakes, ehh? Well, except Negi over here, but he ain't perfect either. Speaking of which, chibi boy, you're up!"_

"Call me that again, and you'll be retiring from writing, **_permanently_**."

Negi looks at me as he says that, just for spite, lingering so I would have had all the question takers view me as an irk. He then looks to the camera.

"Galerians was it? Yes. Okay man. Everybody dies. You, Me, that annoying cameraman over there... get that mike out of my vision or I'll use it's wire to strangle you by the way...thank you...I'll just be living a bit shorter than all ya'll. How am I gonna explain it to Anya? It won't need explaining. I won't die due to magic sickness, I'm going to die due to that stupid curse a catalyst has of pulling too much magic. One day, I'll just draw to much magic into myself and then, **BOOM**, you've got some fried Negi Legs and a few wings...."

"...Aint' nothin' to explain. The whole kitten caboodle will see it happen. What's there to explain? That it was destined? That's just unheedy depression, extra weight, why do you think I hid it from my mum? Only, she had to be nosy, too bad....so to answer your question, excuse the rant...I ain't gonna tell her jack. No point, no need, and frankly, no time. If I have got time to spout useless statements, I'll use it to do just one more useful task...now I've got a battle to get to, where the hell is that Edward dude?"

Getting up before I can stop him, he walks off to find the famous vampire, leaving me to just stare at the empty seat, blinking.

_"Okay. People, if you want this shot...get the heck out of this building!"_

As for you all, can this writer who's never read a page of Twilight conquer his personality by just glancing at, of all things, a wiki page?!

_**Power Overload.**_

"There you are!"

Negi skids to a stop, kicking up dust from the pack dirt road he had been running along, his eyes fixed upon the back of a tall, pale young man. He turns to Negi, eyes shining an odd golden. So...this was the one who was looking for him...hmm? His speed just now...he was a vampire. What did he want? Just to fight? Why? Just to test himself? Just to prove himself...just because he wanted to beat someone up?! There was a lot of anger in this one...

"Shut your mental flapping, I can hear you, bast."

_Mental flapping, as in, he himself could hear thoughts?_

No time for coherent thought, not as Negi called up his illusion, becoming the picture of his father only younger and far more...dark. He smiled, the left side of his lips curling up into a smirk. What was this? Was his power to change his appearance at will? Negi lunged at him, forcing Edward to take a quick step backwards before dashing off to the side.

Negi followed the movement, kicking off a nearby tree for extra speed and, a faster change of direction. Golden eyes widened as he once more quickly dodged, only to find the boy once more in his face, as if by...magic.

Power condensed in Negi's hands, this really wasn't fair...not as Negi sent arrows of darkness sheeting at the vampire, making him put his renowned speed to good use...still, Negi appeared right behind him, launching off the ground to pound home his elbow into the small of the other's back, and disappear again to kick him in the temple with a roundhouse, knocking him to the ground.

_What kind of trick is this?! Where is his speed coming from, and what were those arrows?! Who is this guy...ahh, he's going to come from the left...but his mind...it's moving so fast, it's confusing me more than it's helping me to read him!_

"Then don't read my mind yah newbie."

Spinning about, Edward ducks under a straight punch to the nose and plants his fist into the other's gut, sending him skidding back. Negi launches himself off the even as he skids, forcing himself forth and blasting into the other with a full body tackle, knocking him back.

_Speed, power and skill. His mind runs like one of my cars when I put it through its paces. Where is his weakness?!_

"You aren't powerful enough to find it, just lay down if you give up, I won't mind."

_Not when you've done this to me... not now, now I have to fight you!_

Skidding to a stop, the vampire forgets to breathe, and for once, it doesn't matter, not as he kicks off the ground and rushes Negi, barely missing with one of his fists, which Negi grabs as he side steps out of the way and tugs him forth into his own fist, impounding the other's nose.

Edward kicks out, his boot catching Negi and blasting him off as Negi begins another unincanted chant for arrows, calling out for them as he rushes the elder vampire, his feet swinging out as he stops short, but Edward grabs his legs and tosses him.

Negi shoots off his arrows again, making the other dance once more, but he pulls closer all the time.

_All I have to do is avoid the arrows. That's all. He can't do anything else, he's fast, and strong, but I can do this...wait...what's he doing now?_

Negi had stopped as Edward had been thinking, gathering power to himself. It was true, this boy was most likely nothing to him, but that just made it all the more fun to see him run and squirm in his thoughts. The boy's fists darkened and symbols exploded from them as he smiled wickedly.

"All I have to do is avoid his arrows! That's what he thinks. Well boy, while you were thinking....I was gathering! Here we are!"

Edward had been coming closer, so Negi rushed him, moving impossibly fast, the other vampire barely was bale to follow his movements as he felt a fist impact his body, sending him soaring into the air, giving him wings.

Negi jumped after him, chanting under his breath as he watched the other arc in the sky and begin to fall.

**"****κατατρώω****ίσως****από****το****διάστημα****, O ****κεραυνός**** wrap ****τριγύρω****όπλο**** O ****πάγο****s! ****ριζώνω****έξω**** my ****εχθρός**** , ****τσεκούρι****του****εκδίκηση**** , ****έκλειψη****!"**

_**T**__**ο**__**σθμβολαιον**__**διακονετο**__**μοι**__**, **__**βασιλισκ**__**οθρανιονον**__**. **__**Επιγενεντηετο**__**, **__**απολεια**__**κεραθνε**__**ηοσ**__**τιμεισ**__**πτειρει**__**. **__**Ηεκατονκατισ**__**και**__**κηιλιακισ**__**αστραπσατο**__**. **__**Κηιλιαρκοθ**__**Αστραπε**__**!**_

_What...is...that?!_

Even as he manages to land on his feet, he cannot help but take a step back as the boy lands, jumping away from a huge axe seemingly made of ice and coursing lightning, as it blast home on the ground, and can only twisting every which way to avoid the lightning that continued to rain upon the ground, once, twice, one hundred times, a thousand times.

Negi laughs, Magic, dark magic, condensing upon his finger tips as he rushes in and forces his elbow into the other's gut, blasting him into and through a tree.

_What manner of power is...this...Volturi?!_

No poor boy, not Volturi. Negi smiles as he sees the other get up, but slowly, too slowly. It puts him off. Well, he had been told this would be easy, but not this easy. He holds out his hand.

**"Confuto!"**

_**Sagitta Magica, Centum meit Centum, Spiritus...Ingus!**_

Holding out his hands to the trapped vampires, he proceeds to roast him alive...

Stop, stop! This is a bit _too_ much torture...especially for those Twilight fans out there...we get the point, Negi would kick his arse...without the ability mentioned anywhere of being able to fly, use magic besides telepathy, and his speed only being marginally better than most vampires, his strength nothing incredible...he'd be whooped raw by Negi...

Okay...okay...here...now, to work on completing Young Negi...send your reveiws...I'd like to see them!


	13. Challenge: SoulBreaker

*Sigh* Way to long of an overdue, I know. Three hours is a hard thing to find nowadays. I'll try to get it done in less then. I've made you wait too long. Signed in: 11:30 in the afternoon. My math teacher decided to take the day off it seems...I still do challenges after all, people...

**_Challenge: SoulBreaker_**

It had just been a walk, a stroll through Mahora City. A patrol duty in which he had met her and walked along with her, as she was going his way. A simple thing that none would have expected to be odd. A vampire and a mage in transit together...until she had stopped, and he, confused, looked back before focusing upon the obstacle in front.

The night air was chilly. It stung at Negi's face. Bitter. He didn't know why, but Eva, always sarcastic, powerful Eva, the queen of darkness, was stunned, and speechless. Blue eyes, brilliant in their hue for only one reason, were wide as they fixed on the figure in front to the boy. This was the first time Negi had seen fear in her face, and it made him inwardly smirk. Yet at the same time, it brought worry to him. If she was afraid, you should be too...

Because of him. He was the reason.

He had hardly changed a direct opposite to her in that aspect. He still sported an old style of dress, an unwrinkled, un-blemished suit of nearly all white. For some reason, the boy thought the man could be her brother. Blond, well kept and sheened hair flowed from his head and piercing blue eyes were set as cold crystals in the sockets. His gaze was penetrating, and Negi's own fire eyes burned deep and hard into that gaze, which had fixed a bit above him, to his companion.

He had warned her, never to let him see her again, or he would chase after that ever so interesting soul. That soul had healed the damage done to it, and sat complacently where it lie, but the one next to her burned brilliantly bright, grounded by it's still new connections and a very solid base in the ways of this world...

Justus Faustus tilted his head a bit to the side, his face blank, but his eyes ever so interested. They were fixed on Eva's own, which burned the newfound life in death that they had received from Nagi. That same man's son brought his own eyebrows sloping down and when Faustus took a step, Negi stomped his foot down on the pavement, bringing attention to himself. Ice blue eyes met fierce fire.

"Who the hell are you, may I ask?"

The man, or what would seem to be a man, paused in mid step, surveying Negi. He looked to be a miniature of the one who had prevented him from taking Eva's soul before, prompting thought. Yet, Justus was asked a question, and he wasn't one to lie, only withhold a little, perhaps.

**"I am but a collector. "**  
"Of what? Last year's Barbie models?"

An interesting one, to say the least. His face was deadpan in the face of Negi's, who never liked those who hid behind a mask as he was. He burned bright, powerful. Dangerous. A delectable specimen, alive as a human...until very recently, but wrapped in such power and darkness, it seemed almost uncanny he could be born with the potential to become what he was.

**"Of souls."**  
"Oh, so you're one of _those_ shits."

Perhaps he might have some fun collecting him as well. Eva however, surprised Negi by grabbing his collar, jerking him back, her face plainly showing the intention of bolting. Since when had she become a deer in headlights, huh? The hell. Faustus took a step forwards, and Negi shook the girl off, his fists exploding with brilliant power.

Power granted by emotion. Power that stemmed from the darkness in his soul. Indeed, this one was interesting. Instead of simply strengthening his body, his magic, he had worked tirelessly too, to gain control over his soul's bountiful blessings, and wore it proudly upon his breast.

**"Ahh. You wish to fight, don't you? Well, I suppose I must, if you stand in my way."  
**"Like hell."  
**"Immortal that you are, I shall eliminate you, your soul has long passed its due."  
**"Kinda hard to say that, considering you, being an arrogant shit that you, a collector, must be way older than me, I'm six you twit."

Who was the last person to call him that? An arrogant shit? Why, it was the very woman half cowering behind him. The other half of her seemed to want to run away, but she held herself in check, bodily firm.

An act that Faustus, seeing the soul, could punch through easily. She seemed to scream at Negi inwardly, cursing that he had not the power to do this, his father's idiocy indeed flowing through his veins...He was surprised as the boy kicked off the ground, his fist blasting into his body, sending him skidding back.

Disappearing, the boy appeared behind him, spinning to kick him viciously in the side before bending to handspring away. He landed as Faustus turned, once more simply appearing in his face, yet this time, Faustus was ready, angling his face out of the way from his punch and grabbing the arm, sending his own fist into Negi's middle, had his hand not come out to block it, his knee thrusting out to hit the man's gut.

"You're not gonna get rid of me that easy, c&n+!"

This one, unlike Eva, was skilled in Marital Arts, perhaps she had learned from her weakness there, and employed it to this boy...or perhaps the boy had taught himself, but no time for that. His voice called out as Eva stood stock still, memories plaguing her mind.

_**((12:30 PM.))**_

**"Function-"**

He didn't get to speak the rest, as, regardless of the odd chant, Negi had sprung, his body coiled into an arrow that shot his fist straight into the man's mouth, almost making him swallow the boy's fingers, yet he skidded away.

"Function? The hell? You lose your damn mind or what?"  
**'Function X = 14.5784, Y = 15.678, Z = 3.891. Add the minor invisibles by 8-"**  
"Holy hell, its the calculator, quick, give him a problem! I didn't know I was facing some friggin math totting nutcase..."  
"Negi, look _OUT_!"

Even as her voice reverberated out from her, the boy had already sidestepped and swung out his foot, connecting with nothing as it passed through the immaterial being. It swung out it's blade to catch him in his movement, but he ducked, drawing his own blade as he quickly called out.

"Rastel Mascir Magister!"  
_Reprobo inter mihi , impendo extrarius, praemium versus..._

He ducked again at the immaterial being swung again, and he twisted away as another appeared, he had forgotten Justus was still chanting. He spun in a circle, flashing out his blade as he chanted.

"Se Dissolvant, Phasmantis Oiharau!"  
..._meus hostilis, ingus! Nova Contego! _

As his blades passed through them, they bade away from his touch, sinking back into the depths they had come as fire condensed around him, exploding outwards with such force, Faustus had to break off form summoning more specters of the dark to dodge.

**"So, you can dispel Demons, and by extension, Specters. Interesting development. Your power is nowhere near what hers is however, and thus you shall, eventually, succumb as she has."**  
"Go to hell, pea brain. Oh wait, I forgot, you _live_ there!"  
**"Direct from sine, loop numerator if between..."**

Negi rushed at him, drawing his other blade, HeartBreaker, to join his short sword as they began to glow with pent up magic, he was infusing them with the power of the spell he had just invoked, and all the while, chanting out loud, rushing the man in front of him.

"Flet Une Vente! Flans Saltatio Pulverea!"

The blast hit against blasting him back, yet Negi had to stop short, twisting about to slash through two more specters. Faustus used this time a rush at Negi's back, a few of his ghostly sentries circling him, ring guards.

He reached Negi just as the boy stomped his foot upon the ground, taking to the air upon his tattered skills of flight, flipping over in the air to call out another chant, refreshing his blades with their canceling powers as he did so.

"To Sumbolaion Diakonētō Moi, hē Krustallinē Basileia! Epigenēthētō, Taiōnion Erebos, Haiōnie Krustalle! Pasais Zōais ton Ison Thanaton, hos Ataraxia! Kosmikē Katastrophē!"

Faustus stood his ground as the spell hit, a direct hit that blasted apart the ground underneath him, sundering tar and cement, flying everywhere...and yet, the boy could not turn around fast enough. His blade slashed through one specter, but he was too slow for the other, as it grinned, a piercing blade, cold as the Alps and more, plunged into his chest.

"Gah! The hell...is this? GET OFF MY YOU DAMN B#ST#RD!"

Plunging HeartBreaker into the thing, it slipped away, like water falling down a wall. Negi landed upon his feet, hard. He looked at Faustus, who had decided it was now a good time, after getting obliterated by his End of the world spell, to regenerate in the most sickening way Negi knew, as if he were getting poured into a mold, god, and he used to like tea. Great way to ruin an English tradition.

"Holy hell, he's made of play-doh! Look at him go! Some poor kid keeps rebuilds him after I smash him up. I wonder how many times I'll have to do this before they get the point?"

The perfect face reformed fully, still detached of any powerful emotion as Negi felt that annoying cold sensation visit him again, however, he covered by, ridiculously, commenting upon Faustus's looks.

"Damn...don't you need a license to be so friggin ugly?"

Faustus gave no comment upon that, only held out his hand to Negi. A soul, he explained, has seven bonds, and one of them had just been severed. Immortals, people, demons alike, they all improved upon their body, their magic, they never once stopped to think about their one weakness, the soul.

That immortal, ever so vital, soul. That was the key to any immortality, and yet, they failed in protecting it. He only had to sever enough bonds so that Negi could no longer move, and then he'd be free to collect. The most he had seen one fight was until they had five cut. For the basic essentials, Consciousness and either Ambition or Necessity, were needed...perhaps emotion may work as well.

"Oh hell, so you're just gonna go snip snip then huh? Fine by me, have at me. As for me...en garde!"  
"I suspected as much-"

Once more, he appeared behind Faustus, swinging out to bang both of his blades through the two specters that circled him and kicking out on his back. He gathered his power together, going for a blast of power as he condensed his form, his fists darkening every second.

"Το σθμβολαιον διακονετο μοι, βασιλισκ οθρανιονον. Επιγενεντηετο, απολεια κεραθνε ηοσ τιμεισ πτειρει. Ηεκατονκατισ και κηιλιακισ αστραπσατο. Κηιλιαρκοθ Αστραπε!"

_Κατατρώω ίσως από το διάστημα, O κεραυνός wrap τριγύρω όπλο O πάγοs! Ριζώνω έξω my εχθρός, τσεκούρι του εκδίκηση, έκλειψη! _

Faustus remembered that spell, but he never remembered it riling one's soul so...his eternal heart, his core was pumping it's power through him, coming to the surface, being laid out bare upon his body, strengthening him...he turned to see the boy's body darken, symbols swirling about his body as he struck out, two blades in one hand, a huge axe of ice and lightning in the other as bolts rained from the sky.

"No regrets, pretty boy!"

Such power, such control, all at once, his strength had increased, nearly doubled, yet still, he did not grace the power of the other...but his usage of what he had was, perhaps, far more effective. Faustus found his specters once more canceled as the boy's blades slashed right through him, lightning raining form the sky, it had been that he was trying to dodge...

Yet, from his very wound, a specter emerged, stabbing out...the boy could only conjure his cancelation spell so quickly, and definitely not this quickly. Another specter's blade sunk deep into him. Gagging the boy still swung his axe out, slashing the body in front of him right through, the milky substance Justus called blood flying everywhere, and yet, as Negi jumped away from another specter, his blade flashing out, the blood was flowing back mending the damage done.

"Damn. You're like one of those toys with a string...you know, the ones that you pull the string to assemble, but if you let the string go, they fall apart? Holy hell, I need to cut the damn string don't I? Just gotta find the damn thing."

From the mending face a voice reverberated outwards, only making Negi grit his teeth.

**"Two out of seven."**  
"Forget you; you're just a shitbucket of a sideshow. I've no need for anything anymore, I just want to see your head under my foot, crushed like the melon it is!"

Darkness condensing about him, he rushed at Faustus, and began to punch and kick, relaying as much damage as his vampric, Magica Erebia enhanced body could dish out in a few precious seconds, his fists breaking "bone" his feet smashing apart vitals, he left a crater with the violence he caused, jumping back only to draw his blades, rushing in again, both glowing with power, not even a split second later.

**"-Subset is heavy division"**

Yet, even as this happened one specter jumped upon him, he had neglected to use his ears. He felt another cold stab, and he threw the beast off, smashing his opponent's constantly regenerating mouth. He own mouth began to befoul the air, as he felt his limbs grow cold...sluggish...body straining, it seemed so...

"Idiot, fool, friggin demon, piece of shit, c&n+, b#st#rd, f#ck, flipping hell, scunt, _die_ already you blasted wank!

...His body seemed so far away, as if he were but a puppet master, pulling strings to make himself dance. He was no longer one anymore, not really...as if he were sleeping, nay, he was halfway between, alive and dead all at once.

**"Function: absolute zero, mean equivalence to the fractional radicals..."**  
"To sumbolaion diakoneto moi, basilisk ouranionon. Epigenentheto, apoleia keraune..."  
_Το σθμβολαιον διακονετο μοι, βασιλισκ οθρανιονον. Επιγενεντηετο, απολεια κεραθνε..._

A regenerated limb, which he had ignored, stuck out, the knee blasting the boy back as the rest of the body reformed, quickly, and yet, even as Negi flew, he condensed his power.

"Hos timeis pteirei. Hekatonkatis kai khiliakis astrapsato. Khiliarkhou Astrape!"  
_Ηοσ τιμεισ πτειρει. Ηεκατονκατισ και κηιλιακισ αστραπσατο. Κηιλιαρκοθ Αστραπε!_

**"Reversed X is Six."**

Specters, more of them, coming for Negi's soul, even as Magica Erebia swirled around him, even as he sent both of his lightning spells arching forth. Two thousand thunder bolts as he rose his blades to do battle with the ghosts of the abyss, constantly chanting, nonstop in his head and with his mouth, as he swiped specter after specter, his opponent continuing to call them up, the boy cancelling, sending them spiraling back.

Finally, Eva unstuck herself, just as Faustus sent one of his dark friends forth, their blade sinking deep into Negi. He fell, shaking, to his knees. Four of seven. He began to laugh, insane, helplessly insane, laughter as his Magica Erebia fell, his bond with his own soul was too weak to keep it up, not without sundering it from the very body it clung to.

"Ah ha...ha...ha...oooh....he he heh heee..."  
"Ahh, it seems I must have cut off the bond to your sense. Unless you normally laugh like a hyena."

"Oh ho...Very funny...you self righteous bastard...I am...I am...oh hell, it don't matter who the hell I am, I'll kill you!"

Pushing himself up, painfully as the other approached, he stood tall, all a bit shaky. Meanwhile, Eva kept the sidelines, her own power coming to her. He had done so well, lasted quite so long, but his power was nothing to this...abominations...she needed to help him...lest she lose him. As he chanted, so too, did she, calling up from memory as he insanely held out his hands, both of them shining bright.

"Triple Threat, B*+ch! Τὸ συμβόλαιον διακονῆτω μοί, ἡ κρυστάλλινη βασίλεια! Ἐπιγενηθήτω, ταἰώνιον ἔρεβος, αἱώνιε κρύσταλλε! Πάσαις ζωαῖς τὸν ἴσον θάνατον, ὃς ἀταραξία! Κοσμικὴ Καταστροφή! Το σθμβολαιον διακονετο μοι, βασιλισκ οθρανιονον. Επιγενεντηετο, απολεια κεραθνε ηοσ τιμεισ πτειρει. Ηεκατονκατισ και κηιλιακισ αστραπσατο. Κηιλιαρκοθ Αστραπε!"

_Τ__ὸ__ συμβόλαιον συμβόλαιο και υπηρετώ εμένα βασιλιάs του φωτιά! Έλα, τελείωμα φωτιά, πρώτος φωτιά! έναs φωτιά όλος ότι να είμαι ζωή όχι θάνατος φωτιά! Τέλοs του κόσμοs! Κατατρώω ίσως από το διάστημα, O κεραυνός wrap τριγύρω όπλο O πάγοs! Ριζώνω έξω my εχθρός, τσεκούρι του εκδίκηση, έκλειψη__! _

_**(Is it only 1:30?)**_

Faustus came in easily, his specter stabbing out it's blade as it impaled Negi once more, severing the last string that mattered to the boy. His ambition. Yet, all the while the words had been flying from his mouth, his precautionary measures, of gathering magic before and while chanting, made sure that the power was there, and even as he fell to his knees, there was nothing else for the power to do but to lance out, fire, ice and lightning completely obliterating all sight.

Yet, at the same time while Faustus delay with all that magical power, his opponent felt his mind slipping in and out, like the other's body as he twisted about to avoid the more powerful of the blows...only to see Eva had grabbed Negi, and was, of all, things running off with him.

Faustus had no choice but to give chase...he was not going to let her soul escape gain...and definitely not in the company of an equally interesting one...

She couldn't fly right now, goddamnit! Screw it; this was the middle of the city wasn't it? Chuck him in a damn car, god bless modern technology! Swiping someone's car was easy as hell...but...hell, as she stuffed the boy into a vehicle, she forgot one important point.

She did not know, or have a chance in hell of learning how to, drive. Crap. Ahh hell, who cares. She cursed at the fact the thing wouldn't move, until, barely able to manage the effort, Negi slapped the wheel, the area that the key was supposed to go in.

_Oh, right..._

Eyes scanning the area, Faustus knew they were in this street, somewhere...but by god, there were so many souls here, it was hard to tell, but...there, in that thing. A car. A completely, fatally in a way, damaged soul, and another desperate one. Yet, even as he walked up, the thing screeched, and with a lurch forwards, the tiny thing surged forth.

How nice, now he had to chase a car of all things...he was not a dog.

"NEGI, What the hell are you doing!"

Body barely responding to him, yet a soul inside that would not give up, he did not care if he could not feel his limbs, did not care if he had to will them, a million times over, to move a single inch. His hands loosely gripped a steering wheel as a phone book, courtesy of Eva, lay flat upon the gas.

Oh hell, this is not a good combination, not at all. Negi was barely able to move as it was, and with both of them gripping a steering, wheel, keeping in mind Eva had no idea what she was doing, and Negi, who had an idea but could do nothing really...

It was a racing buggy, of all the undignified cars to be stuffed together into; it just had to be a buggy. This wasn't Austin Powers for Christ's sake! Yet, if Eva glanced back...she could tell he was on their tale...how?

Well, besides the crazy taxi cab that swerved as it struggled to turn the corner they just had, there was just that sense of foreboding. Negi gripped loosely on a wheel, it seemed to be his lifeline, yet, he still managed to whisper.

"Get...that...damn...stick...push it... until it says..._seven_."

She did, and every time she pressed it, the car jerked before going all the faster, until she could barely see straight. Holy hell, how fast can these things go? The thing on the dashboard read 230 kph by now, but what the hell was that supposed to mean?

Eva, it means you're going fast enough to make it really, _really_ _**suck**_ if you crashed.

Past a red light, a horn blared, fading quickly into the distance, sirens blared, squealing tires, so much noise. Lights off in the distance, flashing colors, and yet still a swerve as their vehicle weaved away from a local delivery. Both vampires were on their toes, even if Negi was a bit unsteady at the moment.

He indicated Eva to peek out the window and blast that car that was tailing them to hell as soon as he got on a highway...but he didn't get that far. As soon as she let go of the wheel and chanted her spell, the wheel got the better of him, moving of its own volition straight into an apartment complexes wall.

The taxi shot past before getting iced, but their car was already totaled...poor taxi kept on going, until it blasted into a deli and set the whole place ablaze, for it had hit a gas truck first...but vampires are tough things. Eva crawled out of the hell hole she had just gotten in, and grabbed a beaten and bruised Negi...no doubt that dude would be reforming his ass any second, so before anything blew up, she high tailed it outta there...

(Time out: 2:18. Phew. Okay, to summarize, here we go.)

**Word Count:** 3000-5000+ Asked. / By my count at least, 3505....Microsoft Word on this computer claims 3591.

**Time taken (Written): **Three hours given. / 2 hours, 48 minutes taken.

**Victory condition: **Escape given.** / **Escape.

**Planning:** Unlimited given. / Far to long taken.

Time out offcial summary: 2:25.

Good sir, I did put a rule up on limiting up to four shots per challenge did I not? I even claimed I would not take that many unless somone really told me what they wanted...if you give me a more solid foundation of what you want, and perhaps shave off black and white, I _might_ do it for you, bending the rules a bit. Yet, I have to know what you want for me to know I am giving you it.


End file.
